The Arizona Senate passed a bill that punishes people who unlawfully help others avoid arrest.
Senators last week voted 17 to 13, along party lines, in favor of Senate Bill 1635.
SB 1635 creates a criminal penalty for people who warn others that police will arrest them. They could face a Class 1 misdemeanor charge, which could result in up to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said the “lawless chaos” seen in places like Minneapolis, where “people were harassing” U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents who were “enforcing the law,” inspired him to introduce the bill.
“If someone is actively helping a suspect dodge arrest, that is not free speech. That is obstruction,” Kavanagh told The Center Square.
“This bill makes it clear that intentionally tipping off criminals during an ongoing arrest effort has consequences,” he added. “We stand with law enforcement, not with those trying to undermine them.”
Kavanagh said he found Arizona laws previously did not cover incidents in which a person warns another person of “an impending arrest.”
