A Tennessee lawmaker says he plans to introduce a measure next year that could make attacking a police officer, firefighter or EMT a hate crime.
House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick says the bill will be modeled after the ”
Blue Lives Matter” law passed last month in Louisiana. That new law tacks a $5,000 fine and up to five more years in prison onto the sentence of anyone convicted of felony assault on a public safety worker.
The Chattanooga Republican says he was motivated by the
shooting Sunday night at a Tennessee Highway Patrol station outside Memphis. Police in
Tennessee and
elsewhere claim they’ve been targeted in the wake of
Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.
McCormick says he’ll introduce the measure when the state legislature reconvenes next year.
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