Pennsylvania Senator says it’s time to do a better job protecting those who protect our communities. She’s working on legislation that would make it illegal to disclose where police or military personnel reside. She says people in the police force and military put their lives on the line every day and it’s time to protect them and their loved ones in their neighborhoods.
Boscola was motivated by recent incidents involving acting State Police Commissioner Marcus Brown. He was targeted in his neighborhood, including being secretly video-taped and receiving a racist note in his mailbox. The Senator says under her bill, it would be a third degree misdemeanor to disseminate the address of a police officer or soldier. This could mean up to a year in prison. It would also be illegal to give directions or share photos or videos of their location without consent. This applied to social media websites as well.
Boscola says, "They're protecting our families, our homes, our country. We can at least protect them from individuals that might not agree with the decisions they have made."
Boscola says the State's right to know law already exempts the disclosure on home addresses or phone numbers. But it's not illegal to intentionally distribute addresses, including by way of street signs or online posts.
Vietnam War Veteran, Fred Roller served in the US Air Force. Now he's commander of the VFW, in New Cumberland. He says he's proud of our active military men and women.
"These guys risk their lives for us and protect our country and do what we ask, we ought to protect them and their families after they come back," says Roller.
That's why he supports Senator Boscola's proposed bill...especially in light of recent ISIS threats targeting our troops.
"We're in a different era," says Roller. "It used to be guys come back from overseas, that was the end of it. Now, they can find out anywhere in the World where these guys are stationed and anything else."
The bill is still being drafted.
