My name is Lance Harris. In 2016 I wrote and passed the first Blue Lives Matter law in America.
2015 and 2016 were particularly deadly years for police officers in America. In 24 months, 204 cops died on the job, 107 from a felonious act. In the same 24-month span, 107,392 were victims of “line of duty assaults.” On the morning of July 17, 2016, six officers were ambushed in my home state of Louisiana when a lone gunman opened fire on them in Baton Rouge. Three of the officers lost their lives that day simply because they wore the uniform. One of the officers, Nick Tullier, is still fighting to recover. His life will never be the same.
My tipping point was on August 28, 2015, when a Harris County Texas Sheriff’s Deputy was assassinated, just for being a cop. So in the spring of 2016, as a member of the Louisiana Legislature, I wrote and passed the nation’s first Blue Lives Matter law. A law that considers an act of violence on a police officer or first responder, solely because they wear the uniform, a hate crime and is punishable as such.
I wrote the law because I was sick of watching police officers being attacked and assaulted. I was sick of our police being criticized on a daily basis by the mainstream media. Someone has to take a stand for the vast majority of good officers who put their lives on the line every single day to protect people they don’t know. Someone has to take a stand for the men and women who kiss their children goodbye every day not knowing if it will be for the last time.
I didn’t get into politics until I was 50 years old. I never thought I’d be running for congress. But in times like these it is incumbent on those of us who have the ability, to stand up. Police officers shoulder a massive burden for us – it’s time some of us help carry that burden for them.
Too many of our elected leaders feel pressured to remain silent in fear of offending someone. Too many look the other way. I do not suffer from that particular affliction. I don’t feel pressure because of what someone in the media writes about me. I lost both of my parents in a car accident as a young man – I have been through far worse than a negative news story.
I’m running for congress to be a voice for the bravest men and women in the world who stand on that thin blue line to keep us safe. I’m taking a stand for those that stand for us. I’m running because it’s time for the adults in the room to stand up and say, enough.
To the men and women who put it all on the line, know that I’ve got your six. Will you have mine?
To learn more about my mission, visit www.ElectLance.com
