ATLANTA (March 16, 2010) – Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, made the following statement today following the Senate’s vote on his Blue Alert System Bill – SB 397:
“Georgia’s law enforcement personnel are our first line of defense when it comes to public safety. When a peace officer is injured or killed, we must do all we can to apprehend the criminal immediately. I commend my Senate colleagues for unanimously passing Senate Bill 397 to protect our law enforcement and our communities. Had this sort of system been in place when Officer Vogt was shot and killed, his shooter could have been apprehended quickly,” said Mullis.
Mullis carried SB 397 on behalf of the Georgia Fraternal Order of Police. The bill creates a state-wide alert system to speed the apprehension of violent criminals who kill or seriously injure local, state, or federal law enforcement officers. The State Blue Alert System has four criteria that must be met to be activated:
- A law enforcement officer must have been killed or seriously injured or seriously injured by an offender
- The investigating law enforcement agency must determine that the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel
- A detailed description of the offender’s vehicle, vehicle tag, or partial tag must be available for broadcast to the public
- The investigating law enforcement agency of jurisdiction must recommend activation of the Blue Alert to the State Operations.
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Sen. Jeff Mullis serves as Chairman of the Transportation Committee. He represents the 53rd Senate district which includes Chattooga, Dade, and Walker counties and portions of Catoosa County. He can be reached at his office in Atlanta at 404.656.0057 or by email at jeff.mullis@senate.ga.gov.
STATEMENT
For Immediate Release:
March 16, 2010
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber, Director
404.656.0028