Golden co-sponsors Community Heroes Protection Act
Crimes Against Police and Firefighters Punishable as Hate Crimes
New York state Sens. Marty Golden, Fred Akshar and Patrick Gallivan are sponsoring the Community Heroes Protection Act, which would designate crimes that specifically target police, firefighters and other emergency service workers as hate crimes.
The Community Heroes Protection Act was inspired by the many brave men and women in uniform who have lost their lives, were injured or targeted simply because of their jobs as protectors of the community. Researchers have found that between 2015 and 2016, there was a 68 percent increase in firearms-related fatalities among law enforcement. This brings the total number of officers who were fatally shot in 2016 to 64.
In December, a Youngstown Ohio Firefighter was shot at the scene of a house fire. Chief John O’Neill told the media that the police were investigating the incident as a targeted shooting. This past week, 12 year-veteran firefighter Luke Jones was brutally beaten while off-duty at a nightclub in Phoenix, Arizona. Homicide investigators said the manager and bouncer of the nightclub continuously struck the already injured firefighter while he was on the ground. Jones died shortly after being dropped off at the local hospital.