AUGUSTA (AP) — A Maine Republican legislator wants to make it a hate crime to single out and attack a police officer.
Republican Rep. Karleton Ward’s bill would address those who commit crimes against a person because of that person’s status as a law enforcement officer, firefighter or emergency medical care provider.
It would also apply to a first responder’s property.
A work session is scheduled Friday.
Another Maine Republican’s bill would create the crime of aggravated assault on a police officer.
In 2015, law enforcement agencies told the FBI that 50,212 officer were assaulted while performing their duties. Of those, about 28 percent sustained injuries.
In New England, the assault rate was 11.9 per 100 officers, above the national rate.
Maine State House is the state capitol of the State of Maine in Augusta, Maine, USA.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.