Minnesota Passes Bill to Stiffen Penalties for Impersonating Law Enforcement

(KNSI) — The Minnesota House unanimously passed legislation Thursday, stiffening criminal penalties for impersonating a law enforcement officer.

Under the law, offenses currently classified as misdemeanors would be elevated to gross misdemeanors. A gross misdemeanor offense would become a felony carrying a maximum three-year prison sentence, and existing felony sentences would increase by five years.

The bill was co-authored by Democratic Representatives Ginny Klevorn of Plymouth and Kristin Bahner of Maple Grove. Klevorn said impersonation destroys the trust Minnesotans place in trained officers every day. Bahner said the legislation is a direct response to a June 14th incident in which someone impersonating an officer shattered residents’ sense of safety and security.

That night, Vance Boelter is accused of going to the Champlin home of Senator John Hoffman dressed as a police officer and shooting him and his wife Yvette a combined 17 times. According to a timeline put together by investigators, after leaving Hoffman’s home, Boelter targeted Bahner, but she was not there at the time. Boelter is also accused of shooting and killing House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert.

The bill is supported by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, and the Minnesota Sheriffs Association.

A Senate companion bill authored by Senator Hoffman passed the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee unanimously in March.

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