Indi Register – by William R. Toler
Those elected to allegedly serve the interests of “the people” in the State of New York, as usual are working on a bill to protect some of their own: the police.
According to WIVB, legislators in the Empire State (fitting nickname) seek to make a crime to “annoy” a cop. The imaginative title of the bill: “An act to amend the penal law, in relation to aggravated harassment of peace officers or police officers.”
The bill states:
A PERSON IS GUILTY OF AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT OF A POLICE OFFICER OR PEACE OFFICER WHEN, WITH THE INTENT TO HARASS, ANNOY, THREATEN OR ALARM A PERSON WHOM HE OR SHE KNOWS OR REASONABLY SHOULD KNOW TO BE A POLICE OFFICER OR PEACE OFFICER ENGAGED IN THE COURSE OF PERFORMING HIS OR HER OFFICIAL DUTIES, HE OR SHE STRIKES, SHOVES, KICKS OR OTHERWISE SUBJECTS SUCH PERSON TO PHYSICAL CONTACT.
If the bill is passed, it would go into effect in November and “violators” will face a felony charge and up to four years in a cage.
One of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Joe Griffo, had this to say in support for the words on paper: “”Police officers who risk their lives every day in our cities and on our highways deserve every possible protection, and those who treat them with disrespect, harass them and create situations that can lead to injuries deserve to pay a price for their actions.”
The station didn’t talk to anyone opposed to the bill, but did state in the first paragraph that it is “a move that could have far reaching consequences.”
While being annoying can be, well, annoying, it doesn’t cause harm to anyone or their property and therefore should not be a crime.
Legislation like this could lead to even more prison overcrowding of peaceful people and more police brutality. There are already people being arrested for “annoying” cops without there even being a law against it.
Antonio Buehler, co-founder of the Peaceful Streets Project, is currently on trial in Gonzales, Texas for annoying a cop. Back in March, Buehler yelled to an officer, “Go f#@k yourself” after being made to leave a courtroom.
It would also be an excuse to arrest every Cop Block and Cop Watch member who record all encounters in an effort to achieve accountability. “Oh…you’re annoying me. You’re under arrest.”
A bill with vague language leaving it up to the interpretation of the officer, is the worse kind of legislation.
http://indieregister.com/2577/news/ny-bill-make-it-a-crime-to-annoy-police/
This has Bloomie/Kelly written all over it.
Wow! You said it, Angel.
Read it carefully and note the punctuation. That is important. It means you have to physically touch or harm the cop. This is what is normally called assault. LOL. It’s just politicians doing what politicians do…nothing…with lots of fanfare and hoopla and self congradulations. Don’t misread it and think you can be charged with being annoying. Hell, if that was the case they’d have to lock most of us up.
Yup, all you have to do is, give them a “Funny Look”.
That’s a good one Angel. But I’m serious about the law above. Read it and note punctuation. It’s defining annoying and harrassment as physically touching or kicking. It’s not taking a picture or standing there. It’s just a new way to define assault. There are laws against assault already. This is just political grandstanding. And that’s a Bloomberg specialty.
“Touching” can take many interpretations. 🙂
Should have included “Alarm”.
The interpretations are far too nebulous.
Hey Angel, I’ll bet the so-called politicians here are pissed they didn’t come up with this one first. LOL
It sure can Angel. Just ask the TSA. They have an 17,368 page opus defining the word. which is typical bureaucratic gibberish. When it comes to what they do they only word that comes to my mind is “molestation”. No, wait…”sexual assault” applies too. I guess that would be three words. My mistake.
like I have maintained all along,if its not illegal yet just give it a little time and it will be! Its OK for them to do just about anything ,and its now going to be illegal to look at them for what they are!
Wow! They really are getting pathetic. Now you can’t even look at a cop or even tap them on the shoulder? Are they god? I’m sure the Round Rock Police would love to have this law in effect, since they basically do it all the time anyways. You just have to look at them and get arrested. Hell, they even think they are god since the officer who arrested me before for no reason pretty much said so himself.
And if the cop is undercover, stirring up sh!t, and someone touches the cop, is that a crime?
This law is too vague and will give police even more power than they already have.
When passed, you’ll see reports of people being shot because the officer thought the person was getting ready to ‘annoy’ the officer.
boy …I hope my outfit ( choice of clothing) does not annoy a cop. What if I bought the LAST jelly doughnut? That would really annoy a cop and result in a felony 4 year term.
What happens when a cop beats during a steroid rage?– NOTHING! What happens when he guns down a black kid running with fear while innocent?–NOTHING. Ok, maybe paid leave A K A paid vacation. Just precious!!!
And when a cop runs over and MURDERS someone, they get fired and NOT charged with murder??? I’m sure that cop was sitting in his car atop the dead man and was shouting “Stop resisting, stop resisting, stop resisting”!! Just like the thug that broke into the wrong apartment and killed a chained dog that belonged to that vet. I don’t want to kill the steroid idiots outright, I would like to take them to our back woods, chain them to a tree with NO food or water in 90 degree heat, and shout at them, “stop resisting, stop resisting, stop resisting”!! Then maybe just a little tickle from their taser to add to the pleasure, and then say goodbye. We have LOTS of trees here to be put to use.
Hmmm
Clearly the State of NY in general the NY Police department in particular has completely lost sight of their primary job; TO SERVE AND PROTECT THE PUBLIC. This is not just irrational and illogical, it is a direct affront to the 1st Amendment. Even if passed it would be clearly unconstitutional and therefore null and void and not binding on the citizens. It is time for the American people to gently but firmly explain to the government that they are overstepping their boundaries. It is high to time to tell themwe will no longer allow them to violate our civil rights.