EDITORIAL: Back the Badge initiative a show of needed support

The Senate last week took some positive steps in support of law enforcement officers in Georgia, as well as other public safety officers.

A quartet of bills that is headed to the Georgia House, collectively known as the Back the Badge initiative, gives law enforcement officers in Georgia affirmation that the work they do and the sacrifices they make are appreciated.

“The men and women who serve our state as law enforcement officers are true patriots who answer the call regardless of the time of day because they believe in protecting the public,” Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus, who sponsored three of the bills, said. “With the passage of the Back the Badge initiatives, we are letting Georgia’s law enforcement community know we have their backs by enacting stricter sentencing and tougher punishments for individuals who are convicted of assault against police officers. We can never thank them enough for all they do, but I believe this is a step in the right direction to show our support.”

If approved as they stand by the House and signed by the governor, the bills would create a nine-member Local Law Enforcement Compensation Commission that would be charged with reviewing the salaries and benefits that law enforcement officers receive and report the findings to the General Assembly. They also would increase by 50 percent the amount of money the family of a fallen officer receives from the state indemnification fund, setting the level at $150,000. One of the bills authorizes the creation of a special Back the Badge license plate, which would generate revenue for the Peace Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund.

The fourth bill, called the Back the Badge Act of 2017, would focus on those who attack public safety officers: peace officers, correctional officers, emergency health workers, firefighters, highway emergency response operators and officers of the court who are performing their duties. It increases the sentence range for those convicted of assaulting public safety officers to 5-20 years — equal to where it has been for peace officers — and adds a $5,000 fine, which is to be split evenly between the Georgia State Indemnification Fund for those killed or injured in the line of duty and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which would use the funds to develop projects and public relations campaign to encourage law-abiding behavior.

We agree that this legislation is a move in the right direction. In a nation where peace officers in particular are increasingly becoming targets, it is a sign that in Georgia we support those who we call upon when we’re facing danger. We’re especially pleased to see the prospects of a comprehensive salary review that we hope will lead to improved compensation for many of our peace officers in the state. We hope the House will be receptive and that the legislative initiative soon will arrive on the governor’s desk.

Whether you call it Back the Badge, Back the Blue or something else, we, as Georgians, should strongly support those who put their lives on the line every day they go to work. This Back the Badge initiative is a show of that support. They have our backs. As Sen. Kirk observed, this is one way we can show these officers that we have theirs, too.

— The Albany Herald Editorial Board