A sign on display when a portion of the Newtown Bypass was dedicated in honor of Officer Gregg in 2014.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Gov. Tom Wolf has signed a bill into law that is named in honor of a fallen Newtown Borough police officer.
The Officer Brian Gregg Act (HB 2058) was signed by Wolf after being approved by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in spring and the state Senate last month.
The new law gives paramedics the authority to conduct conduct blood draws for blood alcohol content test from drivers stopped for suspected intoxicated driving.
The bill is named after Gregg, who was shot dead 10 years ago by Falls Township resident Robert Flor at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown. Gregg transported Flor to the hospital for a DUI blood draw.
Prior to the new law being signed, officers who stopped a driver for DUI had to transport the person to a nearby hospital where a trained medical professional took samples for a blood alcohol content test.
“Allowing paramedics to conduct blood draws in these situations is all about practicality and allowing police officers to get back to their duties and respond to other emergency calls,” Bensalem-based Republican State Rep. Gene DiGirolamo said. “This new law will also benefit small police departments with few officers on duty and in areas with hospitals located a distance away, as it’s imperative to keep officers where they need to be.”
“In addition to aiding our law enforcement, this law will help cut down on some of the wait time for obtaining crucial test results and reduce the number of times offenders are in the public emergency room,” Langhorne-based Republican State Rep. Frank Farry said.
Flor fatally shot Gregg, who grew up in Levittown and lived in Newtown, and injured a hospital employee during the 2006 shooting. Flor escaped the hospital building and was found later in the hospital parking garage after a large manhunt. Flor, who currently sits in prison, was revealed to have had several past run-ins with local police.
“We owe it to Officer Brian Gregg and fallen officers across the nation to do everything we can to aid our police in carrying out their work in a timely and safe manner,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
