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Committee hears bill to raise penalties for assaults on first responders; advocates urge changes to protect people in crisis
Summary
Representative Dennis Mannion told the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee that House Bill 59 would raise penalties for knowingly or recklessly injuring law enforcement, paid and volunteer firefighters, and EMS personnel, and add an option for extended prison terms in certain cases.
Representative Dennis Mannion introduced House Bill 59 to the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, saying the bill would add enhanced penalties when someone "knowingly" or "recklessly" causes bodily injury to a public safety official and would move some offenses into higher misdemeanor or felony classes.
The bill would add a subsection to New Hampshire assault law naming law enforcement officers, paid firefighters, on-call/volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel as protected categories. Representative Mannion told the committee the change would, among other things, allow for an "extended term of imprisonment" in some cases and would make the statute "cleaner" by placing enhanced penalties in the assault sections themselves.
Why it matters: supporters told the committee they often see first responders injured while doing routine work and said existing misdemeanor charges can be treated…
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