Law enforcement from throughout the state joined Representative Justin Sparks (R-Wildwood), House Speaker Dean Plocher (R-St. Louis), Senator Tracy McCreery (D-St. Louis County) and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) to talk about Sparks’ House Bill 1692.
The bill, which is backed by the Law Enforcement Legislative Coalition (LELC), would create “Valentine’s Law,” named for St. Louis County Police Detective Tony Valentine. Detective Valentine died in the line of duty in 2021 after his vehicle was struck head-on by a suspect fleeing authorities in a stolen vehicle.
HB 1692 would create the offense of “aggravated fleeing from a stop or detention of a motor vehicle.” This would make it a felony for an individual to knowingly evade law enforcement during an attempted vehicle stop.
See what law enforcement and these officials had to say about HB 1692 and senate version, which is sponsored by Sen. McCreery, and about how the bill would honor Detective Valentine: