Minnesota Legislature Passes Bill That Makes Doxing of Officers a Misdemeanor

Lawmakers passed the Public Safety and Judiciary Bill Wednesday, one of the last bills needed to put the final touches on the $52 billion budget that needs to be passed today to avoid a partial government shutdown.

In the bill is a piece of legislation authored by St. Cloud Representative Dan Wolgamott that would make doxing a police officer a misdemeanor. If the doxing results in bodily harm to an officer or their family, it becomes a gross misdemeanor. Doxing is the act of publicly revealing private information about someone, especially as a form of punishment. That information often includes home addresses and phone numbers. Social Security numbers have also been posted, KNSI reports.

Wolgamott says peaceful protests are important to exercising one’s First Amendment rights, but doing so outside the private homes of police officers is going too far.

The bill also enacted new regulations on no-knock warrants, modifications to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board’s police misconduct database to create an early warning system to keep bad officers off the streets. When responding to a mental health crisis call, it would also require every law enforcement agency to include a referral to mental health crisis teams when one is available. Departments must also have a model policy on confidential informants. The $2.64 billion bill also includes jail safety reforms and funding for community organizations working to prevent crime and perform youth outreach.