Throwing Water on Police Now a Crime in Louisiana

On Friday Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law a measure that seeks to protect our state's peace officers from being splashed with water. You would think such a law would already be in place but one that specifically includes water was not on the books until the Governor signed it this past Friday.

You might not think being doused with water is that big of a deal. Well, it certainly can be during times of high anxiety and a police presence. Such an incident happened last year in Houma, if you recall.

The new statute also removes an incarceration or detention requirement that goes along with dousing a police officer with a liquid at the time of the dousing. The penalties for violating the new laws include fines and the potential for incarceration.

The maximum fine that can be levied against an individual who throws water or any liquid on an officer is $500. The individual, if convicted, could also face a jail sentence of anywhere from 15 days up to six months in jail.

Should the officer be injured and require medical attention because of the dousing then the penalties will go up. The fine will be up to but no more than $1,000 and the jail time will increase as well. A suspect found guilty of splashing an officer and injuring that officer could be facing jail time of at least a year but no more than five years.