(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) A northwest Missouri state senator has filed a bill that would protect the people who protect us.
State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer wants to make "doxing" a law enforcement officer a felony crime.
"It should not be a risk that they take on," said Dist. 34 State Senator Luetkemeyer.
Doxing is a form of cyberbullying that's been recently used to target police officers and their families across the country.
Officers become victims when someone finds their personal information like an address or social security number and post it online to encourage harassment.
"Any time anyone's personal information is given out over social media or any kind of internet site it can be detrimental or dangerous to that person and their family," said Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 President Brad Kerns. "Nobody wants anybody showing up at their front door step."
Luetkemeyer feels the threat to law enforcement is real, not only to officers but to their families.
"They're not signing up for people to show up at their private residence and intimidate them and their spouse and the rest of their family. That's nothing that our law enforcement officers sign up for," Sen. Luetkemeyer said.
Luetkemeyer wants to make doxing a police officer a felony crime punishable by jail time. He said a recent social media video of a police protest in Kansas City led him to file the legislation.
In the video, a protester can be heard saying, "We are going to start sharing things with your children's teachers. You don't think that we have extensive researchers? You don't think that we don't know where all y'all live? You don't think we don't know where your children go to ..
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