Is The New Police Entry Law, SB-1 , Good For Anybody? [Poll]
There has been a lot of talk lately about the new police entry law, SB-1, which was signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels a couple of days ago. The new law basically gives Hoosiers the right to resist unlawful entry by law enforcement. Some of this is being fueled by the Trayvon Martin case in Sanford, Fla. in which the17-year-old was gunned down by a man who said he acted in self-defense and in accordance with the 'Stand Your Ground' law in Florida and other states.
Rep. Jud McMillin, R-Brookville, who sponsored the bill in the State House of representatives, was in Evansville at the F.O.P. lodge to clarify the law for law enforcement officers who have expressed tremendous concern over what this law could mean for their safety.
McMillin took great issue with the media and others for creating a negative "perception" of the law which he says has been blown out of proportion. Law enforcement's biggest concern is how the bill is worded and thinks there is too much room for interpretation which could lead to someone, law enforcement or private citizens being injured or killed unneccessarily.
McMillin believes the best way to understand this issue is to educate people about how the law works and exactly what it means. It was suggested in the meeting that educating the people of Indiana could be a daunting task when the only people who need to be educated are the legislators who wrote and supported this bill.
In it's simplest form, the law basically allows homeowners to do what is necessay, including the use of deadly force to protect themselves and their families when their home is entered by law enforcement or perpetrators that are perceived to pose a serious and possibly deadly threat to the homeowner.
This is going to be a hot button issue in the weeks and months ahead. Hopefully, they will be able to figure out the best way to handle this issue before someone gets killed in the same fashion Trayvon Martin was killed.