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Suzanne
Hopper Act
Widener,
Beagle Honor Legacy of Deputy Hopper
Senate Bill 7, the “Deputy Suzanne Hopper Act”
now law
COLUMBUS– State
Senators Chris
Widener (R–Springfield) and Bill Beagle (R–Tipp
City) today announced that Senate
Bill 7 has been signed into law by Governor John R. Kasich. The bill,
which the
Senators jointly sponsored, is designed to keep law enforcement
officers safe
by giving them access to additional information on potentially
dangerous
suspects.
“Our
law enforcement personnel put themselves in harms way every day to keep
the people of Ohio safe,” said Beagle. “We owe it to these brave men
and women
to arm them with all the information we have so they can be prepared
for any
situation. We know all too well that this information can mean the
difference
between life or death and I’m glad that today we have taken this step
to keep
all Ohioans safe.”
The
bill requires courts of law to enter all violent offense convictions
where
mental health evaluation or treatment is ordered into the Ohio law
enforcement
database known as "LEADS." This includes all cases where the suspect
has been found not-guilty by reason of insanity. This LEADS entry will
allow
immediate access to public court records.
Senate Bill 7 was authored in response to a 2011 tragedy in Clark
County where
Deputy Sheriff Suzanne Hopper was gunned down after approaching a
suspect who,
unbeknownst to her, had a history of violence toward police.
“The story of Deputy Suzanne Hopper is just one example of a local hero
who has
sacrificed their own life while serving and protecting our community,”
said
Widener. “I can think of no way to better honor her life than by taking
every
possible step to keep our citizens and protectors safe.”
With the Governor’s signature, Senate Bill 7 is now law and will go
into effect
in 90 days.
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