Senate Bill 7 has passed the Ohio Senate with bi-partisan support. The legislation also knows as The Deputy Suzanne Hopper Act, was named after the sheriff's deputy who was killed in 2011 in Enon, after responding to a call of shots fired on New Year’s Day.
Senate Bill 7 was jointly sponsored by State Senators Chris Widener and Bill Beagle.
The bill will allow law enforcement officers responding to an emergency to be notified of people who have been sentenced to mental health treatment for committing violent crimes. The notification will be available through the Law Enforcement Automated Data System known as LEADS.
Deputy Hopper's killer had been convicted of a violent crime and had mental health issues, but the information wasn't available on the LEADS system.
Senator Widener says Hopper's sacrifice in the line of duty inspired him and Senator Beagle to craft Senate Bill 7. He says that Deputy Hopper's name and service to Ohio will be honored if only one life is saved by the legislation.
Senate Bill 7 now moves to the Ohio House of Representatives for further consideration.