Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill into law May 26 that labels an assault against a police officer in that state — or any other public safety worker for that matter — a hate crime. The state’s “Blue Lives Matter” bill is the first in the nation, although similar bills have been introduced in Washington and in several other states. “The men and women who put their lives on the line every day, often under very dangerous circumstances, are true heroes and they deserve every protection that we can give them,” Edwards said in a statement. “They serve and protect our communities and our families. The overarching message is that hate crimes will not be tolerated in Louisiana.”

According to the Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, 124 American law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty last year. It’s in part because of the “extreme kill-a-cop rhetoric of the Left by the Black Lives Matter movement,” writes Mark Alexander. Furthermore, the Obama administration foments discord by calling police racist. Louisiana’s law sends a clear message: An attack on the men and women charged with protecting the peace and upholding the law shows the criminal is trying to undermine both Rule of Law and peace. Such an assault will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.