First responder protection bill raises First Amendment concerns for protestors
- Project SaySomething
- Mar 26
- 2 min read
by Austin Pratt
Tue, March 24, 2026
A bill moving through the Alabama Legislature would create a new criminal offense aimed at protecting first responders on scene. Its received support from the Alabama Ambulance and Sheriffs Associations, but some say it could go too far.
With Senate Bill 293, a person could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor if they approach or remain within 25 feet of a first responder after being given a lawful order to stay back, and then interfere, threaten, or make physical contact.
Sen. April Weaver, the bill’s sponsor, says the goal is to give first responders space to safely do their jobs. “If they are in their role as first responder doing their duty and person approaches or remains within 25 feet of them or tries to impede or threaten or otherwise harass them after being instructed not to it would be a class A misdemeanor,” Weaver said.
When the bill was introduced in February, a press release from Weaver’s office said it was filed citing a desire to prevent “the chaotic civil unrest and violence that is occurring in Minnesota from ever taking root in Alabama.”
Camille Bennett, founder and executive director of Project Say Something, told lawmakers during a public hearing the measure could infringe on First Amendment rights — particularly during protests or crowded scenes.
“SB293 can violate the rights of protestors and citizens... If protestors cannot hear the instruction to vacate the premises and people are still less than 25 feet away from the officer, how can the officer accurately measure 25 feet in real time,” Bennett asked lawmakers during the hearing.
She also questioned how that distance would be enforced in practice.
“It says you have to be at least 25 feet away but who’s doing the measuring in real time an officer could say you weren’t far enough back. Again it’s an arbitrary number,” Bennett said.
Bennett added that people in chaotic situations may not hear an officer’s order — including those who are hearing impaired or experiencing a mental health crisis — making enforcement difficult.
Current Alabama law already makes it a crime to interfere with government operations. Under Section 13A-10-2, a person can be charged if they intentionally obstruct or hinder a public servant through force, intimidation, or other unlawful acts — also a Class A misdemeanor.
“We don’t understand why they’re putting more restrictions on a law that already exists,” Bennett said.
The Alabama Ambulance Association and Sheriffs Association have supported the bill in its current state as it goes a step further by clearly defining a buffer zone and requiring people to keep their distance since the current law does not explicitly call for that.
If passed, SB293 would create a new, separate criminal offense alongside existing obstruction laws. The bill and the code cited are not applicable for obstructing arrest, there are separate legal penalties and guidelines for that
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