A senate committee began hearings on Mon. Feb. 1, on a bill that would increase penalties for posting the personal information of police officers online.
Missouri already has laws against posting people’s information, like home addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers to the internet.
However, the bill, sponsored by Senator Tony Luektemeyer, would change the penalty for posting an officer’s personal information from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class E felony.
Luetkemeyer said he believes it’s necessary because police officers are already a protected class and need heightened protection. “I think that having it be a misdemeanor offense, where you're talking about a fine, very unlikely to have any jail time is not a significant deterrent. And we've had officers particularly in Kansas City, that have really been terrorized by different groups.”
Senator Steve Roberts said the issue is serious but questioned the need for the penalties to increase as much as the bill proposes.