Gov. John Bel Edwards has vetoed a bill that would authorize jail time for citizens who came within 25 feet of working police officers after being told to stay away.
"No person shall knowingly or intentionally approach within twenty-five feet of a law enforcement officer who is lawfully engaged in the execution of his official duties after the law enforcement officer has ordered the person to stop approaching or to retreat," the bill, written by state Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville, states.
In his veto letter, Edwards said the effect of the bill "would be to chill exercise of First Amendment rights and prevent bystanders from observing and recording police action. Each of us has a constitutional right to freely observe public servants as they function in public and within the course and scope of their official duties."
Edwards also wrote that it's not necessary, because Louisiana already has a law that makes it a crime to interfere with an officer.
The ACLU issued a statement supporting the veto.
“House Bill 85 was a significant government overstep that would have interfered with people’s ability to exercise their First Amendment rights and, ultimately, their ability to hold law enforcement accountable," the organization states. "It’s no secret that in recent years, bystander accounts and video footage have been the most powerful evidence of widespread police misconduct. Observations of law enforcement are invaluable in promoting police accountability."
The ACLU also argued that the bill was unconstitutionally vague because it didn't make it clear "when and how police could enforce the law, and how the public could avoid breaking the law."
Here's a link to Edwards' full letter.
And, here's the link to the text of the bill that passed the legislature.
