SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) announced today that he has
introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 242 which will add police officers as a protected class under the hate
crimes statue.
Throughout the country, there has been an increase in violent crimes aimed specifically at men and
women in uniform. Most recently, New York City Police Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were executed while sitting in their squad car. Ambush attacks and incidents of multiple deaths or injuries atthe same scene are on the rise. FBI statistics state that about 21.7 % of non-accidental law enforcementdeaths since 2004 were ambush attacks.
“Every day, Peace Officers bravely put on their uniforms to protect and serve our communities,” said
Assemblymember Salas. “We must protect those who protect our families against criminals that
deliberately and maliciously seek out men and women in uniform. I remain committed to ensuring that justice and public safety remain paramount as these issues are deliberated through the legislative process.”
The State Legislature will debate public safety measures, ranging from legislation regulating and
requiring police officer body cameras to protecting sworn peace officers from being targeted for
protecting the public.
AB 242 (Salas) would add “peace officer status” to the list of characteristics necessary to determine
whether a crime qualifies as a hate crime. At the National level, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is lobbying the federal government to add crimes committed against peace officers to the national hate crimes list.
To charge an offender with a hate crime under existing California law, there must be evidence that bias, hatred, or prejudice was a substantial factor in the commission of the crime. Hate crimes may be prosecuted either as misdemeanors or felonies depending on the severity of the act. Some crimes that are typically prosecuted as misdemeanors can be elevated to felonies if they are hate-motivated. Convictions for felony crimes where hate was a substantial motivating factor can carry penalty provisions that add one to four years to the standard state prison sentence.