HARRISBURG – Luzerne County Sen. Lisa Baker and Monroe County Sen. Rosemary Brown plan to introduce legislation impacting the sentencing for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. Earlier this month, two people were sentenced in Lackawanna County for shooting a Scranton Police Detective January 11, 2024. While justice was served in those cases, the proceedings revealed a gap in sentencing laws that could allow individuals who attempt to murder law enforcement officers to skirt appropriate punishment in the future. Under current law, the offense of assault of a law enforcement officer involves the act of attempting to cause or causing bodily injury by discharging a firearm. It carries a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence. In contrast, the offense of criminal attempt – murder of a law enforcement officer in the first degree requires more demanding proof—the specific intent to kill—yet is subject to a much lower sentence. This is true even when a failed murder of the law enforcement officer results in serious bodily injury, in which case the sentencing guidelines authorize a standard sentence as low as 7 to 8 years. The bill will bring the permissible sentence into parity. The two are circulating a co-sponsorship memo seeking support.
SEN. ROSEMARY BROWN
SEN. LISA BAKER