'Blue Lives Matter' initiative: WI lawmaker wants targeting of officers to be considered a hate crime

Should the targeting of law enforcement officers be considered a hate crime? One Northeast Wisconsin lawmaker thinks so.

WLUK is reporting Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard, has scheduled a news conference for Monday morning, July 11th at the Brown County Sheriff's Office to announce his initiative.

"Every day our police officers place themselves in harm's way in order to protect and serve our communities," Steffen said in a news release. "Over the past several weeks, I have been working on the 'Blue Lives Matter' initiative which works to protect those who protect us. I strongly believe that anyone who targets these brave men and women, solely because of their profession, should face serious penalties. This legislation sends a clear message that the despicable attacks we've seen against officers throughout the country will not be tolerated in Wisconsin."

Steffen plans to model his bill after a law passed in Louisiana earlier this year.

Sheriff's officials say they will also provide comments at the Monday news conference.

This announcement comes after twelve officers were shot, and five were killed after a suspect opened fire during a protest in Dallas over back-to-back killings of African-American men by officers on Thursday, July 7th.