‘The Protect and Serve Act’ is a bill that would make ambush-style attacks on LEOs a federal crime – Law Officer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ambush attacks on law enforcement officers across the United States occur are all too frequently. Last year, 115 police officers were victims of ambush-style attacks, which resulted in 46 homicides.

U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, (R-FL.) has introduced H.R. 743, legislation known as “The Protect and Serve Act.” The purpose of the proposed law is to deal with the rapid and brazen attempts to murder (execute) cops, according to an opinion piece published by GoErie.

H.R. 743 would make deliberate, calculated ambush-style attacks on America’s law enforcement officers a federal crime with stiff penalties of 10 years up to life for attempted murder or murder.

In an FBI report titled, “The Assailant Study — Mindsets and Behaviors,” the authors identified a disturbing and growing trend of attackers who are motivated by a desire to kill a law enforcement officer. This motivation, the report concludes, is from a “singular narrative that portrays the officer as guilty in traditional and social media and the subject as the victim.”

A study by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services examined law enforcement officer fatalities from 2010-2016. Researchers discovered that 20% of ambushed officers were seated in their patrol cars while 56% of officers killed in an ambush attack were not on a call or engaged in any enforcement activity at the time they were killed. Alarmingly, five officers were targeted and killed at home or on their way home.

Joseph Regan is president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania State Lodge, which represents 40,000 active and retired law enforcement officers. He is also the author of the opinion piece published by GoErie.

In the article, he highlighted four ambush attacks where six Pennsylvania police officers were killed or wounded in the past 12 months.

Regan wrote, “As law enforcement officers, we all accept the risks of our jobs. So do our families. In fact, our families are the real heroes because they live with the very real reality that we may not come home. But these ambush attacks are nothing less than assassinations of police officers.” 

“No officer should be at risk of being targeted while simply sitting in their patrol car, standing post, or heading home at the end of a shift. When a member of the public calls for help, we answer that call.”

The feature photo at the top of this article is Master Trooper Adam Gaubert of the Louisiana State Police. He was murdered during a shooting spree of a crazed gunman in 2021, Law Officer reported at the time.

Gaubert was found inside his patrol vehicle after being “ambushed,” Col. Lamar Davis said, once authorities discovered the homicide.