STOP Act

This bill (S 3089, the STOP Act) creates a new federal offense for barricading during arrest evasion. It defines "barricade" as blocking access to a location while refusing to comply with a law enforcement officer's orders during an arrest attempt. The law makes it illegal to barricade oneself in such situations or to assist others in doing so, with penalties of up to 3 years in prison for basic violations and up to 5 years if weapons are involved, serious harm occurs, or others are present. The bill directly affects individuals resisting arrest by blocking access to officers, not the general public.