The Daily Sentinel - Cornyn Speaks at ETPOA Conference

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The Daily Sentinel - Cornyn Speaks at ETPOA Conference

By MICHELE MARCOTTE

Speaking before a large crowd at the 57th annual East Texas Peace Officers' Association Training Conference Monday, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn addressed a piece of legislation that if passed, will help to protect local and regional law enforcement.

The Daniel Faulkner Court and Law Enforcement Protection Act is aimed at increasing the protection of law enforcement officers by imposing mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of homicide, manslaughter and kidnapping crimes against law enforcement officers in federal court, Cornyn said.

He told the crowd gathered inside The Fredonia Convention Center that, in addition, the bill will impose mandatory minimum penalties for retaliating against a law enforcement officer or their family.

"In order for you to be able to do your job effectively, ... not only do you need to be protected against retribution by those who are violating our laws, but your family members need to be protected as well," he said.

Cornyn said the legislation, which he is currently pushing for in the Senate, also provides a more balanced approach to the rights of law enforcement officials to do their job in protecting against retaliation of the very criminals that they protect their local citizens from, while, at the same time, limiting the lawsuits that are filed against law enforcement officers under federal law.

Cornyn said that his experiences as a U.S. Senator have reinforced his belief that the government closest to the people governs best.

"It's going to be more responsive, because you see the folks you work for in the grocery store or in church or at the PTA meetings, and that means you're going to have to be a lot more responsive than the government 2,000 miles away in Washington," he said.

Cornyn added that solutions that come out of Washington tend to be one size fits all, and with regional needs being so varied, it is imperative that the government closest to the people is the one that is in power to make those decisions whenever possible.

The annual ETPOA conference was organized as an opportunity for East Texas law enforcement officers to meet and exchange information on regional criminal activity and law enforcement efforts.

The conference continues today with sessions that include interview techniques by Texas Ranger David Maxwell, and gangs presented by Brandon Bess, with the Special Crimes unit at the Texas Department of Public Safety. The history of Texas law enforcement will be presented during a noon luncheon by Dr. Archie McDonald, SFA history professor, followed by an awards banquet at 7 p.m. featuring Dr. Miles McCall, president of Lon Morris College, as the guest speaker.

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