State Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria is signing on to legislation this week to make it a hate crime to assault first responders. The bill, H.B. 5297, was introduced by her colleague, Rep. J.P. Sredzinski of Monroe, and is gaining support throughout the General Assembly.
“As a wife of a police officer, I want to thank Rep. Sredzinski for proposing this bill and all of the other lawmakers who have introduced similar legislation,” said Rep. Klarides-Ditria. “The brave men and women who protect our streets should receive the utmost respect for putting their lives in harm’s way, and individuals who look to purposely injure public safety officials should receive severe penalties for their actions.”
Rep. Klarides-Ditria urges residents and first responders interested in this bill to contact their State Representative or Senator to express their support. A full list of legislators can be found on the General Assembly’s website, www.cga.ct.gov.
The text of the bill can be found here.
The proposed bill would make it “a hate crime to assault or verbally attack a person because of the actual or perceived occupation of such person.” It would cover police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians.
Last year, the state of Louisiana became the first state in the nation to make it a hate crime for intentionally assaulting first responders. The current offense for assaulting law enforcement officers and other emergency professionals in Connecticut is a Class C Felony, which holds a punishment of 1 to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
