Criminal Justice (Policing)

HD 728 creates new penalties for drivers who recklessly flee police officers. It imposes fines ($100-$1,000), up to two years in jail, or both for evading officers while endangering people or property. A conviction also requires a 60-day driver's license suspension. The law specifically defines reckless evasion as causing property damage or committing three or more traffic violations during the evasion. This directly affects drivers who flee police under these conditions.

This bill (HD 905) creates criminal penalties for knowingly filing false misconduct complaints against police officers. It makes it a felony to file such false reports, punishable by up to 20 years in state prison, a $1,000 fine, or both. The law requires law enforcement agencies to have complainants read and sign a written advisory stating that making a false complaint is illegal and may lead to felony prosecution. This directly affects anyone who files a complaint against a police officer, including citizens and organizations, by adding legal consequences for knowingly false allegations.

HD 3270 creates a new capital murder charge for intentionally killing a law enforcement officer (including police, sheriffs, deputies, or correction officers) while they are performing their duties, or causing their death through serious bodily injury, reckless violence, or intentional acts with a grave risk of death. The punishment for this offense is either the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole, with no possibility of parole. The bill also modifies sentencing procedures, requiring a presentence hearing where a jury weighs specific aggravating circumstances (like the victim being an officer on duty) and mitigating factors to decide between death or life without parole. This law directly affects defendants convicted of murdering a law enforcement officer under these defined circumstances.