MIDDLETOWN – A Republican lawmaker from Monmouth County wants to see increased penalties for crimes against police officers and emergency services personnel.
After five officers from Dallas were murdered last week, state Sen. Joe Kyrillos from Middletown says that he will introduce a bill that would make offenses against police officers or emergency responders hate crimes in New Jersey.
Under New Jersey’s existing bias crime laws, offenders can receive sentences about three times longer than what they would have normally received.
“We’re going to have appropriate justice. We’re gonna show the men and women who protect us all across this country how our state and society, our nation respects them, reveres them, and appreciates what they do to keep the society strong,” Sen. Kyrillos says.
The senator says that a companion bill is also expected to be introduced in the Assembly soon.