Iowa governor signs 'Back the Blue' bill to crack down on rioting, establish qualified immunity

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds vowed to support law enforcement after signing legislation Thursday to make rioting a felony and establish qualified immunity that would protect police officers and state employees from being held responsible for monetary damages. The Back the Blue Act establishes an aggravated misdemeanor charge for “interference with public disorder control” and broadens state criminal code to hold someone liable for a serious misdemeanor if they evade an unmarked law enforcement vehicle. A previous version of the code only prohibited eluding a marked vehicle.-- More...