WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) issued the following statement after several Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police officers were shot and killed:

“I am heartbroken by yet another horrific attack against law enforcement. Baton Rouge has seen its share of anguish over the last several weeks, and the cowards who perpetrated today’s attack explicitly defied the community’s united call for peace. 

“I have tremendous respect and admiration for law enforcement officers for going to work every day fully willing to give up their own lives to protect complete strangers. In return, we have an obligation to help keep them safe in the line of duty. Attacks and threats against police officers cannot be tolerated, and Congress should consider legislation like the Back the Blue Act to better protect our law enforcement officials and make criminals think twice before targeting them.”

Last week, Senator Tillis joined Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) to introduce the Back the Blue Act, legislation that would increase penalties against violent criminals who intentionally target law enforcement officers, provide new tools to help law enforcement protect themselves, and open up grant funding to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and their communities.

###