BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Louisiana has become the first state in the nation to expand its hate-crime laws to protect police, firefighters and emergency medical crews.
Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, whose family includes four generations of sheriffs, signed the law on Thursday. He said it protects “men and women who put their lives on the line every day.”
“Coming from a family of law enforcement officers, I have great respect for the work that they do and the risks they take to ensure our safety,” Edwards said.
Prosecutors can now seek stronger penalties when first responders are intentionally targeted because of their professions. That’s a departure from the other more essential characteristics hate crime laws protect, such as a victim’s race, religion or gender.
People convicted of felony hate crimes in Louisiana face an additional five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. Penalties increase by $500 or up to six months in prison in misdemeanor cases.