COPS Act Quadruples Fines, Adds 17 Years to Sentences for Assaulting Federal Officers

The newly proposed Curbing Offenses on Policing Services Act, or the COPS Act, is a short but impactful piece of legislation focused squarely on one thing: dramatically increasing the penalties for anyone convicted of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer or employee.

The Cost of Interference Just Went Up

Under current federal law (Section 111 of title 18, U.S. Code), interfering with a federal officer is already a serious offense. The COPS Act doesn't create a new crime, but it supercharges the existing penalties. For standard offenses—the kind covered under subsection (a)—the maximum fine is jumping from the current limit up to a hefty $200,000. The maximum prison sentence for this category is also increasing from eight years to 10 years. Imagine a situation where someone is accused of resisting arrest or impeding an officer during a protest or traffic stop; if convicted, they now face a potential two-year increase in prison time and a massive financial penalty.

Serious Assaults Get Even Harsher

For more serious assaults, covered under subsection (b)—which includes causing bodily injury or using a dangerous weapon—the penalties are escalating even more sharply. The maximum fine for these offenses is surging to $500,000. Perhaps the most significant change is the maximum prison sentence, which is increasing from 20 years to a staggering 25 years. The bill also explicitly adds "explosive materials" to the description of what might be involved in these serious offenses. This means that if you are convicted of a serious assault on a federal agent, you could be looking at an extra five years behind bars and a half-million-dollar fine, regardless of other sentencing guidelines.

What This Means for Real People

For federal law enforcement personnel, this bill offers significantly enhanced protection and stronger deterrents against physical attacks. However, for everyone else, this represents a massive escalation in the punitive power of the federal government. The jump in maximum fines—from potentially tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands—creates a huge financial burden. For an average person, a $200,000 or $500,000 fine is a life-altering debt, essentially guaranteeing long-term financial ruin for the convicted individual and their family.

While the bill aims to deter violence against federal agents, it does so by significantly extending prison time and increasing fines, making the consequences for these specific interactions much more severe than before. It’s a straightforward move that makes federal interactions much riskier for the public, focusing entirely on punitive measures without addressing any other aspect of policing or accountability.