He Survived a Shotgun Ambush Then the System Failed Him - Part 2
"Three years. That's all it took for my shooter to get away with it."
In Part 1, Tom Weitzel told us how he survived a gang ambush during a traffic stop in 1987. Part 2 is about what happened when the justice system failed him.
When ATF agents finally identified Tom's shooter years later, Illinois law said it was too late to prosecute. The statute of limitations for attempted murder of a police officer? Three years. For writing a bad check? Forever.
Tom went to Springfield and got that law changed. But he didn't stop there.
Now, as three of his own sons serve in law enforcement, Tom is fighting for something bigger: making line-of-duty deaths federal crimes—with federal investigation, federal prosecution, and the death penalty in all 50 states.
In this episode:
Why the current system fails officer families
What's happening at the ICE facility near Chicago
Tom's federal crime proposal that the Biden administration ignored
His collaboration with Citizens Behind the Badge to take it to Congress
If Part 1 was about survival, Part 2 is about making sure other officers don't face the same injustice.
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Timestamps:
0:00 — Shooter walked free: statute of limitations
0:55 — Promoted to chief after 37 years
2:19 — Defund movement: 350 applicants down to 10
4:00 — Three sons join law enforcement
8:54 — ICE protests: staged violence against officers
12:23 — Defending use of less-than-lethal force
14:00 — Federal "GO team" prosecution proposal
18:12 — Federal crime enables death penalty nationwide
To listen to this podcast and many more, you can also visit: heroesbehindthebadge.com
Keywords:
Tom Weitzel, Riverside Illinois, Riverside IL Police, Heroes Behind the Badge, police officer shot, federal prosecution line of duty deaths, statute of limitations police shooting, defund the police impact, police recruitment crisis, ICE facility protests Broadview Illinois, Thin Blue Line Act, death penalty for cop killers, GO team police investigation, police advocacy legislation, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, police federal crime, Illinois police reform, law enforcement family legacy, three sons police officers
