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Sheriff’s Office Supports Tennessee Public Safety Coalition’s 2006 Legislative Agenda

Release Date: March 2, 2006

Shelby County Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell, Jr. has joined with Sheriffs, Police Chiefs and District Attorneys across Tennessee to support the Tennessee Public Safety Coalition (TPSC)’s 2006 legislative agenda.

Sheriff Luttrell is a member of the Coalition, a statewide group created by the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, and the Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association, that is pushing for enactment of specific legislation by this year’s Tennessee General Assembly to curb gun-related crime and increase support to law enforcement officers across the state.

The TPSC will actively urge the Tennessee General Assembly to (1) provide stiffer penalties for convicted criminals with illegal guns; (2) expand statewide the pawnshop thumbprint legislation currently in Knox and Shelby Counties to increase the number of solved burglary cases; and (3) create special legislation that would make an assault on a law enforcement officer a felony and increase the punishment for an aggravated assault on an officer.

“The legislative initiatives being sponsored by the Tennessee Public Safety Coalition are vital to the safety of all Tennesseans. As Sheriff of Shelby County, I endorse the efforts of the Tennessee Public Safety Coalition in strengthening laws that would make it more difficult for stolen property to be sold to pawnshops; to toughen penalties for those who use guns in the commission of crimes, and especially strengthen the law regarding those who assault law enforcement and corrections officers” said Shelby County Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell, Jr.

The Coalition held a press conference at the state capitol on Thursday, March 2, 2006 to convey the serious need for legislative action. Members of the Coalition are also holding meetings with newspaper editorial boards in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jackson, and the Tri-Cities area to stress the importance of getting public support for these proposals.

CROOKS WITH GUNS LEGISLATION

Tennessee has some of the weakest illegal gun laws in the country. The “Crooks with Guns” bill would strengthen our existing laws and give prosecutors the tools they need to hold gun offenders accountable. The proposed legislation includes mandatory jail time for unlawfully carrying a firearm with intent to go armed, strengthens penalties for convicted felons in possession of a firearm, toughens penalties for possession of a firearm while committing, attempting to commit, or escaping from a crime, and increases penalties for possession of a prohibited weapon (machine guns, sawed-off shotguns, etc.). The proposed legislation would also make it a separate crime to discharge a firearm from a vehicle or while using a vehicle.

STATEWIDE PAWNSHOP THUMBPRINT LEGISLATION

Members of the Coalition from Knox and Shelby Counties have experienced first hand the successes of the current law that requires individuals who pawn items in those counties to leave a thumbprint on file with the pawnshop. The current law is increasing the number of solved burglary cases in Knox and Shelby Counties. Expanding the current law throughout the state would not only aid law enforcement in solving burglary cases, but would send a message to would-be burglars that theft of property will be handled aggressively by law enforcement.

ASSAULT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER BILL

In an effort to better protect those who protect the public, the Coalition supports proposed legislation that would make it a felony charge to assault a law enforcement officer performing his or her duties. The proposed bill also makes it a felony to remove handcuffs or a weapon from a law enforcement officer and increases the punishment for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. The Coalition is emphasizing the impact these legislative proposals can have on the safety and security of communities and law enforcement officers across the state. The TPSC is urging state lawmakers to pass these bills into law this Legislative session.

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