Sen. Davis sponsors bill to protect law enforcement officers

AUGUSTA – State Senator Paul Davis (R-Sangerville) has introduced legislation to protect law enforcement officers in the line of duty with LD 990 “An Act To Protect Law Enforcement Officers by Creating the Crime of Aggravated Assault on an Officer.”
If enacted, LD 990 would create the crime of aggravated assault on an officer, modeled after the crime of aggravated assault, to include offensive physical contact while the officer is on duty.
“With so many officers being assaulted and murdered, it seems that we should try to inhibit some of that, because all lives matter,” said Sen. Davis, a retired Maine state trooper. “Sometimes stiffer penalties and higher crimes work.”
Currently, assault on an officer is a Class C felony. LD 990 would upgrade the crime to aggravated assault, which would classify as a Class B felony, or a Class A felony if a firearm is present.
LD 990 has been referred to the committee on criminal justice and public safety for consideration.
According to the most recent statistics in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program compiled by the Maine State Police — http://www.maine.gov/dps/cim/crime_in_maine/cim.htm — there were 185 assaults on law enforcement officers across the state in 2015 with one incident occuring in Piscataquis County.
Of the 185 assaults, 172 were by physical force, 12 were by non-firearm weapons and one was by knife. A total of 152 assaults did not involve personal injury while the other 33 cases resulted in a personal injury. The report said the 2015 assault rate per 100 officers was 8.1.
From 2011-15 the number of assaults on law enforcement officers ranged from a high of 200 in 2011 to a low of 173 in 2012 for an average of 184 annual incidents over the five years. In Piscataquis County there were two assaults in 2011 and 2013 and zero in 2012 and 2014.