Louisiana
New Law Mandates People Back Up If Police Ask You To
Governor Jeff Landry has signed a bill into law that requires that if asked to do so by a police officer to back up at a crime scene you must do so according to Louisiana Radio Network.
Governor Jeff Landry says he signed the bill because it helps to keep police officers safe while they are doing their jobs.
Police officers often find themselves in potentially dangerous situations. By asking individuals to stand back, officers can maintain a safe distance from potential threats and have a clearer view of their surroundings. This helps them to better assess and control the situation.
State Representative Brian Fontenot
The legislation authored by Representative Brian Fontenot is designed to enhance the ability of police officers to perform their duties safely and effectively by legally mandating that individuals must stand back when requested. This contributes to the overall safety of crime scenes and aids in the proper administration of justice.
Unless you are involved in the crime scene, when you are asked to back up you will need to move 25 feet away from the scene.
Fontenot says he was motivated to file the bill during the legislation session because violence against police officers is on the rise, and this gives them more space to do their jobs.
Fontenot says,
There was a delicate balance of finding a safe distance for police officers doing their job and the person being affected an arrest on.
If you fail to do what the offer’s asks you to do, the penalty can be up to 60 days in jail or a fine of up to $500.
American Civil Liberties Policy Strategist Stephanie Willis says they are worried about what kind of impact this law will have on a citizen’s ability to hold police officers accountable. She also says this violates a person’s 1st amendment rights. It is likely that the law will be tested in court.
Willis says
Having the ability to observe police interaction is fundamental in our constitution and it’s one of the ways we can hold police officers and law enforcement accountable.
State Representative Edmond Jordan
In addition to Willis, State Representative Edmond Jordan of Baton Rouge told WBRZ says he is critical of the bill because he believes it will make it harder to monitor police.
He says,
If you have to be 25 feet away, you’re not going to be able to help bring some type of change. You need to see and be able to report. I just think it’s a bad law. I think we need to challenge it. I think we need to fight it.
Last year, Governor John Bel Edwards said he wouldn’t sign the bill because he believed it was unconstitutional.
The ACLU of Louisiana did issue a statement this week about Governor Landry signing the measure into law:
The twenty-five-foot buffer legislation fundamentally seeks to curtail Louisianians’ ability to hold police accountable for violence and misconduct. If law enforcement officers were operating in a manner that safeguarded the well-being and constitutional rights of the public, there should be no objections to being observed. Moreover, HB 173 is impractical to enforce consistently and will exacerbate tensions in any situation involving law enforcement. We denounce the passage and signing of this legislation and urge our communities to stay vigilant and safe in response to these developments.
Those in support of the bill point out that the majority of police departments have body cameras.
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A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.
Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.
The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.
“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”
The move would work in favor of incumbent 6th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.
The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.
According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.
It amounts to an intricate balancing act.
“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.
“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”
Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.
“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.
“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”
One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.
“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”
The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.
“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “
Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.
VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.
Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.
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