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Senator Pam Helming today announced that the New York State Senate passed legislation she sponsors to prevent violence against those who have made a career out of protecting the citizens of this state. Specifically, the legislation would amend the penal law to establish a class D felony for the crime of inciting violence against a police officer. Senator Helming has been staunch advocate for local law enforcement and stronger penalties for hardened criminals.

"We are seeing a growing trend of people inciting violence against law enforcement officers. Our brave police men and women put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect our communities. We need to do all we can to protect our officers by sending a strong message that we will not tolerate those who explicitly target them because of the uniform they wear. These criminals will have real consequences for their actions. I strongly urge the Governor and the Assembly Majority to join me in "Backing the Blue" and putting the safety of our officers first by supporting this important legislation," said Helming.

In recent years, there has been a surge in violent crimes committed against on-duty police officers. According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 2016, of the 57,180 officers assaulted while performing their duties, 28.9 percent were injured. Earlier this week, a woman was arrested in Mamaroneck, NY after she attacked two police officers with a knife for trying to help a severely injured toddler who had been attacked by the mother. In December 2017, Auburn Police Officer Morgan Flickner was assaulted after responding to a domestic violence incident at the same address, twice in the same day. As members of law enforcement have a growing target on their backs, these are just two of many examples that support the staggering statistics which demonstrate the severity of the problem across the country. This legislation aims to curb this trend with the proper classification of the crimes committed against our brave officers.

Helming's bill was passed as part of a package of public safety initiatives to prevent violent criminals from being released back into communities and give victims and law enforcement a bigger voice in the parole and sentencing processes. The bills increase penalties for some of the worst crimes and repeat offenders, prevent revictimization of victims and their families and give them a greater voice in the parole process, enhance protections for those who work in the justice system, and protect society by preventing the most dangerous convicted murderers from becoming eligible for early release, among other measures.

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