2018 -- S 2096

========

LC003592

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

____________

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES-ASSAULTS

     Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, Goodwin, Felag, and McCaffrey

     Date Introduced: January 18, 2018

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 11-5-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-5 entitled "Assaults" is

hereby amended to read as follows:

     11-5-5. Assault of police officers and other officials.

     Any person who shall make an assault or battery, or both, by knowingly and willfully

either (1) striking, or (2) spraying with a noxious chemical, commonly used as a personal defense

weapon, including Mace and an oleoresin capsicum product or like products, a uniformed

member of the state police or metropolitan park police, environmental police officer, state

properties patrol officer, probation and parole officers, state government case worker or

investigator, judge of the supreme, superior, family, district court, traffic tribunal or municipal

court, deputy sheriff, city or town police officer or firefighter, member of the capitol police,

member of campus security force of state colleges and universities, member of the Rhode Island

airport police department, member of the Rhode Island fugitive task force, Rhode Island public

transit authority bus driver, or on-duty plainclothes member of the town, city, or state police

force, investigator of the department of the attorney general appointed pursuant to § 42-9-8.1, or

member of the railroad police after proper identification is displayed, or uniformed dog officer, or

out-of-state police officer called into Rhode Island under a cooperative agreement to provide

mutual aid at the request of the state of Rhode Island pursuant to chapter 37 of title 42, or

assistant attorney general or special assistant attorney general, or employees of the department of

environmental management responsible for administrative inspections or any constable

authorized by chapter 45-16 of the Rhode Island general law causing bodily injury while the

officer or official is engaged in the performance of his or her duty, shall be deemed to have

committed a felony, and shall be imprisoned not less than one year, and not exceeding three (3)

years, or fined not exceeding fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500), or both.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

========

LC003592

========

LC003592 - Page 2 of 3

EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES-ASSAULTS

***

     This act would provide that assaults on police officers and other officials be punished by

no less than one year but no more than three years' incarceration.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

========

LC003592

========

LC003592 - Page 3 of 3