JACKSON – An impassioned plea for the return of the death penalty for certain crimes was delivered by the Jackson Township Council in a recent show of support for two bills in the state Legislature.
Council members recently passed a resolution in support of bills S-1741 and A- 2429 which call for the restoration of capital punishment for the murder of law enforcement officers.
“It is extremely important that we let the brave men and women who protect us 24 hours a day know we stand behind them and support the most significant punishment possible for this heinous crime,” council President Barry Calogero said.
Council members said the bills have been in limbo in the state Assembly since 2011.
“While irresponsible groups promote rhetoric that threatens police officers, it is crucial that we support our peace keepers,” said Assemblyman Ronald Dancer (R-Ocean, Burlington, Monmouth and Middlesex), a sponsor of the bill.
Councilman Robert Nixon said the use of the death penalty for individuals who kill a police officer would help protect officers.
“While you can argue about the legitimacy of the death penalty as a deterrent, you cannot question the heinousness of that crime,” Nixon said. “I think it was a mistake that we abolished the death penalty for the murder of police officers back when we did.”
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, there have been almost 30 shooting-related deaths of police officers in 2015. Compared to 2014, that number is a decrease of about 16 percent.
“This is sickening and an appalling lack of respect for the law and the public servants tasked to keep peace in our neighborhoods,” Dancer said. “Open season on police officers has to stop. An attack on the police is an attack on law-abiding citizens everywhere.”
The proposed state legislation also seeks to enact the death penalty on individuals who are convicted of murdering anyone under the age of 18 or during an act of terrorism.
Nixon said he believes the bills would help to protect more than just those individuals if they are enacted into law.
“When somebody is going to assassinate a police officer while the officer is on duty or because the (perpetrator) knows an individual is a police officer, they will stop at nothing to kill anybody else in our society,” Nixon said.