Florida’s new law shields responders; critics say it’s aimed at curbing

Happy New Year. Now stand back, please.

Florida’s new law protecting first responders from people “impeding, threatening, or harassing” them goes into effect Jan. 1.

The new law, dubbed the “Halo Law,” was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in the spring after legislators passed the bill earlier this year.

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What the first responder law says

The new law, Senate Bill 184, says that individuals must stand at least 25 feet from a first responder who verbally warns them to back off while the responder is working.

Under the “Halo Law,” if you fail to comply with the request to move back and are perceived to be harassing or impeding first responders, you could face a second-degree misdemeanor charge.

The charge could include jail time of up to 60 days. You could also be fined $500.

“Harass,” as defined by the new law, is to “willfully engage in a course of conduct directed at a first responder which intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that first responder and serves no legitimate purpose.”

Who is a first responder?

A “first responder” as defined by the law includes a law enforcement officer, a correctional probation officer, a firefighter or an emergency medical care provider.

Reaction to the new law

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Some law enforcement officials have applauded the new buffer zone law.

“You can video law enforcement officers, that’s your constitutional right,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, an advocate of the new law, said in an NBC6 report. “But you’ve got to stay out of their way while they’re doing their jobs.”

But the ACLU’s Florida chapter opposed the bill because its members believe it could criminalize bystanders and empower police to shield themselves from public scrutiny.

“SB 184 has nothing to do with what its title suggests,” ACLU Florida posted online. “This bill is all about preventing bystanders from being able to observe with their own eyes an officer’s excessive use of force and record those images — with their cell phone or other device — for the public to see. The purpose and effect of this bill is to decrease police transparency and accountability by ensuring that there are no eyewitnesses or recorded evidence of any excessive use of force.”

KNOW MORE: Drivers’ videos show police, Tyreek Hill’s actions during Hard Rock Stadium traffic stop

Videos of police cuffing Tyreek Hill spawned outrage

Several passerby heading to the Miami Dolphins’ season opener in September filmed and posted videos to social media of Dolphin wide receiver Tyreek Hill in a run-in with Miami-Dade police just outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

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Hill, who was heading to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, was ordered out of his black McLaren 720 S and detained on the ground next to his sports car by Miami-Dade police. Officers said they stopped him for speeding. Videos showed officers cuffing and pinning Hill to the ground.

After the public’s videos went viral, police quickly released their body cam footage that showed Officer Danny Torres yanking Hill by the back of his head from his car, pinning him to the ground with a knee, and cuffing Hill. Torres was placed on paid administrative leave.

The two citations against the Dolphin star — a $129 fine for a seat-belt violation and a $179 fine for careless driving — were dismissed in November when the ticketing officer, Manuel Batista, didn’t show up in court.

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