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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 12, 2017 09:54 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Ed Neilson |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Law Enforcement Line of Duty Death Reward Fund (Re-Introduction) |
| In the near future, I will re-introduce legislation – former House Bill 508 of the 2013-2014 Legislative Session – that would require a reward to be offered to witnesses who provide valuable information pertaining to a slain law enforcement officer. Every day, brave and dedicated law enforcement officers courageously put their lives on the line to ensure public safety and the well-being of our families, friends and neighbors. Sadly, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 41 law enforcement officers across the United States were killed in the line of duty as a result of felonious incidents in 2015. My legislation would establish a fund under the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to be used to offer up to $50,000 to individuals who provide information leading to the capture and arrest of a perpetrator of criminal homicide of a law enforcement officer. The funding for this reward will be appropriated on an annual basis from the State Gaming Fund to the Constable William Davidson Reward Fund, named for the first recorded law enforcement line of duty death in Pennsylvania history. According to the Pennsylvania State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, William Davidson, a constable from Venango County, was killed in 1825 while attempting to serve a warrant. Murder in any form is a vicious crime. I believe that we as state lawmakers have an obligation to ensure that all stakeholders in our criminal justice system are armed with the resources they need to investigate and prosecute these heinous crimes. Please join me in supporting this additional incentive to bring justice to fallen law enforcement officers. |
Introduced as HB322