Nassau County’s New York City legislature passed law on Monday that allows law enforcement officers and first responders to take legal action against anyone who harasses, assaults or injures them as a result of their work.
Long Island lawmakers passed the bill by 12 to 6 votes, according to The Washington Post. However, the law has yet to be signed by District Manager Laura Curran before it can go into effect.
Curran has not yet signaled whether it will sign the measure, according to a local ABC subsidiary. In a statement to News 12, she said she would contact the attorney general’s office to “review and provide advice.”
“I am proud of the dedicated first responders who have made Nassau the safest county in America, and I will continue to campaign against police debt relief. My government is committed to protecting the brave law enforcement men and women who protect us ”. There have been many speakers today who have questioned this law. Now that it’s passed by the legislature, I’m going to put a request to the Attorney General’s office to review and give some advice, “Curran said, according to News 12.
The bill would establish first responders as a “protected class” in accordance with the county’s human rights law, which prohibits discrimination based on race, disability, gender, sexual orientation and other factors, Newsday reported.
No other professions are included in the human rights law, the newspaper noted.
The law would also give the district attorney the green light to take legal action on behalf of first responders demanding financial damages against demonstrators for “discrimination” according to Newsday.
The law, when passed, will allow civil servants to receive financial and criminal damages. Civil penalties for the “injured” first responder would be $ 25,000 and up to $ 50,000 if the violation occurred during a riot.
Before the bill was passed on Monday evening, more than 200 people, including civil rights activists, civil rights activists and law enforcement union members, gathered in the chambers of parliament for an eight-hour public session on the legislation, Newsday reported.
Proponents of the legislation said it offered additional protection for officials in the face of “destructive civil unrest and lawlessness” targeting law enforcement agencies after George Floyd’s death, the Post reported.
Opponents say the bill is “retaliation” for Black Lives Matter-led protests against police violence, the newspaper said. They said they were concerned that the law might suppress demonstrations.
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