Home California Assemblyman Introduces Bill to Classify Attacks on Police Officers a Hate Crime

Assemblyman Introduces Bill to Classify Attacks on Police Officers a Hate Crime

by ECT

On Monday, California State Assemblyman Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) introduced a bill that would add the status of “Peace Officer” to the list of characteristics for a Hate crime.

Assembly Bill 2 comes after 62 law enforcement officers have been shot dead so far this year. This bill would make attacks on police officers a hate crime

According to the Legislative Council Digest:

AB 2, as introduced, Obernolte. Hate crimes: peace officers.
Existing law defines “hate crime” as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including, among other things, race, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. Under existing law, that definition applies unless an explicit provision of law or the context clearly requires a different meaning. Existing law provides punishments for hate crimes that range from misdemeanors with specified penalties to felonies with additional terms of one to 3 years in state prison, depending on the underlying criminal act and other circumstances. Existing law requires, with conditions, the Attorney General to direct local law enforcement agencies to report specified information relative to hate crimes to the Department of Justice. Local law enforcement entities are required by existing law to provide a brochure on hate crimes to victims of these crimes and to the public, and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing is required by existing law to revise those brochures as needed and to provide those brochures to local law enforcement agencies upon request.
This bill would add the status as a peace officer to the list of actual or perceived characteristics necessary to determine whether a criminal act qualifies as a hate crime. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. By expanding the information that law enforcement agencies report to the Department of Justice and disseminate to crime victims and the public, this bill imposes a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

According to the Bill:

SECTION 1.

Section 422.55 of the Penal Code is amended to read:

422.55.

For purposes of this title, and for purposes of all other state law unless an explicit provision of law or the context clearly requires a different meaning, the following shall apply:

(a) “Hate crime” means a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more of the following actual or perceived characteristics of the victim:
(1) Disability.
(2) Gender.
(3) Nationality.
(4) Race or ethnicity.
(5) Religion.
(6) Sexual orientation.
(7) Status as a peace officer as defined in Section 830.

(7)

(8) Association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
(b) “Hate crime” includes, but is not limited to, a violation of Section 422.6.

SEC. 2.

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution for certain costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district because, in that regard, this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

However, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains other costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

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3 comments

Hank Dec 7, 2016 - 10:12 am

It’s sad we even need to add this. But is this even a hate crime or an attack on a position? Why only police and not add in firefighters and paramedics or EMT’s?

Where did Antioch go wrong??????? Dec 8, 2016 - 7:09 am

Firefighters, paramedics and EMTs do not do the same job and are not targeted like police officers.

Bill Moon Dec 7, 2016 - 11:15 am

Jim Frazier is supposedly all about law enforcement, yet he fails to ever even attempt to support police and firefighters through legislation. nice to see someone take real leaderships.

Comments are closed.