Police officers in Indiana are speaking out against a new law that gives citizens the right to use deadly force to protect themselves against a public servant who oversteps his authority. Tim Downs, president of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police, says the law (signed in March by Gov. Mitch Daniels, but only now getting national attention) might give people the impression that they can shoot police with impunity. “It’s just a recipe for disaster,” Here, a brief guide to this controversial legislation:
What exactly does the law say?
It authorizes people to Protect Themselves or their property by using deadly force in response to “unlawful intrusion” by a “public servant.” The measure is essentially just a public-servant-specific amendment to the state’s 2006 so-called Castle Doctrine bill, which allows people to do whatever they have to to stop someone from illegally entering a home or car. Indiana is reportedly the first state to specifically allow the use of force against police. The new rule was passed with a nudge from the National Rifle Association, which has pushed permissive gun laws around the country.