State Senator Fred Akshar and others announced new legislation yesterday that will designate crimes against first responders as hate crimes if they are shown to be motivated by the victims’ profession. Akshar, a former undersheriff at the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, was joined by legislative colleagues and first responders in Albany to announce the Community Heroes Protection Act. Crimes committed against police, firefighters, EMS, or other first responders would be increased in severity if judged to be hate crimes according to the new legislation. For instance, if someone is accused of a Class D felony, but it occurred because the victim was a police officer, then that will automatically become a Class C felony under the proposal. It will now be considered by the state legislature.
