Bill Text: NY S05578 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Increases the offense classification for certain assault offenses regarding police officers and peace officers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO CODES [S05578 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05578-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5578

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      March 8, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes

        AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation  to  increasing  the  offense
          classification  for certain assault offenses regarding police officers
          and peace officers

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The penal law is amended by adding a new section 120.05-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3  § 120.05-a Assault in the second degree on a  police  officer  or  peace
     4               officer.
     5    A person is guilty of assault in the second degree on a police officer
     6  or  peace  officer  when  with  intent  to  prevent a police officer, as
     7  defined in subdivision thirty-four  of  section  1.20  of  the  criminal
     8  procedure  law,  or  a  peace officer, as defined in section 2.10 of the
     9  criminal procedure law, from performing a lawful duty, by means  includ-
    10  ing releasing or failing to control an animal under circumstances evinc-
    11  ing  the  actor's intent that the animal obstruct the lawful activity of
    12  such police officer or peace officer, he or she causes  physical  injury
    13  to such police officer or peace officer.
    14    Assault in the second degree on a police officer or peace officer is a
    15  class C felony.
    16    §  2.  Subdivision 3 of section 120.05 of the penal law, as amended by
    17  chapter 267 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
    18    3. With intent to prevent [a peace officer, a police officer,]  prose-
    19  cutor as defined in subdivision thirty-one of section 1.20 of the crimi-
    20  nal  procedure  law,  registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, public
    21  health sanitarian, New York city public  health  sanitarian,  sanitation
    22  enforcement  agent,  New  York  city  sanitation  worker, a firefighter,
    23  including a firefighter acting as a paramedic or emergency medical tech-
    24  nician administering first aid in the course of performance of  duty  as

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04712-01-3
        S. 5578                             2

     1  such  firefighter,  an  emergency medical service paramedic or emergency
     2  medical service technician, or medical or related personnel in a  hospi-
     3  tal  emergency  department,  a  city  marshal,  a  school crossing guard
     4  appointed pursuant to section two hundred eight-a of the general munici-
     5  pal  law,  a  traffic  enforcement officer, traffic enforcement agent or
     6  employee of any entity governed by the public service law in the  course
     7  of  performing  an  essential service, from performing a lawful duty, by
     8  means including releasing or failing to control an animal under  circum-
     9  stances  evincing the actor's intent that the animal obstruct the lawful
    10  activity of such [peace officer, police officer,] prosecutor as  defined
    11  in subdivision thirty-one of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law,
    12  registered  nurse,  licensed  practical nurse, public health sanitarian,
    13  New York city public health sanitarian,  sanitation  enforcement  agent,
    14  New  York  city  sanitation  worker, firefighter, paramedic, technician,
    15  city marshal, school crossing guard appointed pursuant  to  section  two
    16  hundred  eight-a of the general municipal law, traffic enforcement offi-
    17  cer, traffic enforcement agent or employee of an entity governed by  the
    18  public  service  law,  he  or  she causes physical injury to such [peace
    19  officer, police officer,] prosecutor as defined in  subdivision  thirty-
    20  one  of  section  1.20  of the criminal procedure law, registered nurse,
    21  licensed practical nurse, public health sanitarian, New York city public
    22  health sanitarian, sanitation enforcement agent, New York  city  sanita-
    23  tion  worker,  firefighter,  paramedic, technician or medical or related
    24  personnel in a  hospital  emergency  department,  city  marshal,  school
    25  crossing  guard,  traffic enforcement officer, traffic enforcement agent
    26  or employee of an entity governed by the public service law; or
    27    § 3. Section 120.08 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 476 of the
    28  laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
    29  § 120.08 Assault on a peace  officer,  police  officer,  firefighter  or
    30             emergency medical services professional.
    31    A  person  is  guilty  of  assault on a peace officer, police officer,
    32  firefighter or emergency medical services professional when, with intent
    33  to prevent a peace officer, police officer, a firefighter,  including  a
    34  firefighter acting as a paramedic or emergency medical technician admin-
    35  istering  first  aid  in the course of performance of duty as such fire-
    36  fighter, or an emergency medical service paramedic or emergency  medical
    37  service  technician,  from  performing  a  lawful duty, he or she causes
    38  serious physical injury to such peace  officer,  police  officer,  fire-
    39  fighter, paramedic or technician.
    40    Assault  on  a peace officer, police officer, firefighter or emergency
    41  medical services professional is a class [C] B felony.
    42    § 4. Section 120.11 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 283 of the
    43  laws of 1993, is amended to read as follows:
    44  § 120.11 Aggravated assault upon a police officer or a peace officer.
    45    A person is guilty of aggravated assault upon a police  officer  or  a
    46  peace  officer  when,  with intent to cause serious physical injury to a
    47  person whom he knows or reasonably should know to be a police officer or
    48  a peace officer engaged in the course of performing his official duties,
    49  he causes such injury by means of a deadly weapon or  dangerous  instru-
    50  ment.
    51    Aggravated assault upon a police officer or a peace officer is a class
    52  [B] A felony.
    53    § 5. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
    54  ing the date upon which it shall have become a law.