Murphy and Byrne Co-sponsor ‘Community Heroes Protection Act’
There has been an alarming increase in mortality rates of law enforcement officers, firefighters, corrections officers and emergency medical services personnel within the past decade. Between 2015 and 2016 alone, there was a 68 percent increase in firearms related fatalities among law enforcement, bringing the total number of officers fatally shot in 2016 to 64.
According to The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, four out of five medical technicians have experienced some form of injury while on the job. Approximately 52 percent, claimed to have been injured by assault and over 20 percent said personal safety was their primary concern.
To help stem the rising tide of attacks on first responders, Senator Terrence Murphy has co-sponsored the Community Heroes Protection Act (S1114A/A2962A). The legislation designates offenses against law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel as hate crimes. These offenses are designated as hate crimes only if they are intentionally aimed at first responders and the penalty is based on the profile of the assailant’s career.
“Firemen, police officers, our EMS techs and other first responders are on the firing line every day,” said Murphy. “They have been targeted not because of who they are, but because of what they are and what they represent. This legislation sends a very clear message – we will not tolerate attacks on those who protect us.”
Assemblyman Kevin Byrne said, “As a volunteer firefighter and as someone who has both worked and volunteered as an EMT, I am extremely proud to join my colleagues in the Assembly by co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. The fact that our first responders are being targeted because of the uniform they wear is simply unacceptable. These brave men and women put their lives at risk every day to protect us. Now we need to step up and be there for them. This legislation is a no brainer, it is non-partisan, and it will offer added protection to all our first responders.”
Senator Sue Serino agreed saying, “When the safety of a first responder is intentionally threatened—when they are targeted solely for the uniform that they selfless sign-up to wear—it can set off a chain reaction that in turn can endanger those in the community who they were trying to protect. Passing this bill is about deterring crimes against our first responders, and that starts with building trust and improving safety for our communities and those who serve them.”
Michael B. Powers, President of NYSCOPBA said, “We are honored to stand side-by-side with our fellow brothers and sisters in law enforcement and the first responders who put their lives on the line to protect our communities. Recently we have witnessed several unjustified crimes against members of the law enforcement community for no other reason than the type of job that they perform or the uniform that they wear. Criminals who target law enforcement officers and first responders need to be held accountable for their actions. This legislation is a step in the right direction that will help ensure that our members return home safely at the end of their shifts.”
Jerry DeLuca, Executive Director of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs said, “The mission of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs is to educate and train firefighters and officers, so that they can stay safe while working to protect their communities. The Community Heroes Protection Act goes one step further in helping to ensure the safety of those firefighters, police officers and EMS workers who place their lives in jeopardy for the safety of the public.”
“Our firefighters and so many other first responders put their lives at risk every single day to rescue others,” said James Slevin, President of the United Firefighters Association. “To know that criminal acts – against our heroes – are on the rise is a serious concern, and we commend the Senate for introducing the Community Heroes Protection Act. This bill will help ensure that crimes targeted against our brave emergency service workers will be punishable as hate crimes.”
Recent history has dictated the necessity for legislation that would hold anyone who attacks a first responder accountable for their actions. In 2009, Mark Davis, a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician in Cape Vincent, was shot and killed by a patient he was trying to help. Three years later, Webster Police Lt. and volunteer firefighter Mike Chiapperini and 911 Dispatcher Tomasz Kaczowka, were killed by a gunman who ambushed the firefighters by creating a fire at his home. In a heinous act that remains a fresh, two New York Police Department officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, were murdered in an ambush-styled killing while they were sitting in their patrol car in 2014.
Under current law, when a person is convicted of a hate crime and the specified offense is a misdemeanor or a class C, D or E felony, the hate crime is deemed to be one category higher than the specified offense. Police officers and first responders are not included in the current definition of a hate crime.
