Florida begins first prosecutions under controversial ‘Halo Law’

Jacksonville police made its first arrests enforcing Florida’s new HALO Law that went into effect Jan. 1. HALO stands for Honoring and Listening to Our Officers.

Under the law, if a first responder such as law enforcement, firefighters and medical personnel asks you to back off in the course of their duties, you must move 25 feet away or face a second-degree misdemeanor charge punishable by up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine.

A Jacksonville police officer got into a scuffle with a 39-year-old parent on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at a charter school after she parked her car in an intersection and left it running unattended, Sheriff T.K. Waters said during a news briefing. The woman, who Waters described as a habitual traffic offender with a revoked license, refused to stop or show her license and began exchanging blows with the officer, bodycam and social media video showed.

After the officer held her down in a choke hold, a crowd gathered and some people yelled at the officer to get off her. He can be heard ordering them back and to give him 25 feet. Two women in the crowd were charged with interfering with a first responder on duty.

“If you violently resist our officers, if you punch them, if you bite them, you will be arrested. If you crowd and harass our officers or any first responder after a verbal warning, you will be arrested,” Waters said.

The law has sparked controversy, with supporters saying it increases safety, removes distractions, and protects first responders from threats, harassment and physical interference during stressful situations. Critics say the law will be used to prevent anyone from taking videos of law enforcement officers breaking the law or brutalizing people.

As more people take to the streets for No Kings protests aqainst President Donald Trump’s policies, including the next round of protests scheduled for Oct. 18, Florida’s HALO Law may come into play.

What is Florida’s HALO Law?

SB 184, Impeding, Threatening, or Harassing First Responders, made it illegal, after you have been verbally warned, to approach a first responder or remain within 25 feet while the responder is performing a legal duty with the intent to:

• Harass the first responder
• Block or interfere with their ability to perform the duty
• Threaten the first responders with physical harm

Violations are a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail.

What does Florida’s HALO Law define as ‘harassment’?

“Harassment” is defined as an action directed at a first responder that “intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that first responder and serves no legitimate purpose.”

“Emotional distress,” “legitimate purpose” and which parties may decide if those terms apply were left undefined.

What does Florida’s HALO Law define as ‘first responders’?

First responders are defined as law enforcement officers, correctional probation officers, firefighters and emergency medical care providers.

Are you allowed to record or video police officers in Florida?

Yes. Florida’s HALO Law does not prevent taking video or pictures of law enforcement in the course of their duties, but it does require you, if asked, to move 25 feet away, which can make shooting images or video much more difficult.

Why is Florida’s HALO Law controversial?

Ostensibly, the law is intended to protect first responders in the course of their duties.

As of Oct. 13, five law enforcement officers and one K9 have died in the line of duty this year in Florida, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. One died of a related illness and another of a heart attack, but two were killed by gunfire and one was struck by a vehicle. The K9 was killed in a vehicular assault.

However, when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill, he spoke out against the current trend of citizens videoing law enforcement and posting the results online, which he said was for “clicks” and warping narratives about police for attention. He cited media coverage at the time of the controversial police killing of Dexter Reed in Chicago.

Officers fired 96 shots in 41 seconds at Reed during a traffic stop, reportedly over Reed not wearing a seatbelt. A citizen review board questioned both the validity of the stop and the order of events, saying it was unclear who shot first, and questioned the appropriateness of deadly force in the response. Bodycam footage showed one officer emptying his pistol multiple times at Reed, even after Reed was motionless on the ground.

On the same day he signed the HALO Law, DeSantis also signed a bill limiting citizen police oversight boards and reestablishing them under law enforcement control.