Three years after her son's shooting death
in a Birmingham, Ala. suburb, Mississippi state Rep. Deborah Butler Dixon of Jackson is trying to channel her struggle into positive change for crime victims.

Dixon championed a new law she hopes will
help Mississippi families who find themselves in a similar crisis.

Dixon's 27-year-old son, Broderick Dixon, was gunned down in May 2009. The shooter, an off-duty police officer, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

During the investigation and trial, Dixon said she was angered by barriers to information.

Last week, Gov. Phil Bryant signed the Broderick Rashad Danti Dixon Act. The law raises the penalty for filing a false police report but also stipulates crime victims are entitled to a free copy of initial police incident reports.