VA dems to downgrade assault of a police officer to a misdemeanor

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Virginia Democrats are proposing a long list of criminal justice reforms in response to the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. One of the measures is to reduce the protections for police. That makes little sense unless you want to improve the situation for violent criminals and abolish policing.

Multiple local reporters shared the document. And Virginia Senate Democrats retweeted it. It proposes downgrading the charge of assault on a police officer from a felony to a misdemeanor.

THEY ARE ATTACKED REGULARLY

According to statistics released by the Virginia State Police, there were nearly 2,000 assaults on police officers in 2019. One officer was killed, and hundreds of other officers sustained minor-to-severe injuries during assaults.

Democrats control the state House, the state Senate, and the governorship in Virginia. Far-far-left Gov. Northam supports the proposal

“The Senate Democratic Caucus has led and is continuing to conduct a series of community conversations to discuss these issues and we have heard from the public that now is not the time for studies or delay and that changes must be made during our Special Session,” says the document, which is titled, “Senate Democratic Caucus Police Reform and Criminal Justice Equity Plan.”

Obviously, they only talk to other Democrats, statists like themselves.

It goes on to say, “We will continue to take public input and work with stakeholders, the House of Delegates, state agencies, and Governor Northam to refine these measures over the next 60 days.”

GO SOFT ON BEATING AN OFFICER

Presently, assaulting an officer is a Class 6 felony. It comes a minimum penalty of six months in jail and a maximum of five years. Misdemeanors carry a one-year maximum and no minimum.

Virginia Democrat state Sen. Scott Surovell told Fox News in a phone interview that assault on an officer has only been a felony since 1997. He claims it was done as part of a compromise related to harsher treatment of hate crimes. Surovell said that as a result of this, any kind of unwanted contact with an officer including “minor bumps” could be charged as a felony. He says there are cases prosecuted in that way.

That is hard to believe — a bump?

So now, they could beat a cop to a pulp and only get a year?

Surovell, who is also a criminal defense attorney, said that police often tack on felony charges for minor incidents. As a result of the felony charge, defendants face additional pressure to plead guilty, he said.

Force won’t be acceptable in many situations. They will be required to de-escalate situations before using force. They must issue warnings and exhaust “all other means” before firing shots.

So, if they feel they don’t have time to get a social worker to the scene, a criminal can just take off.

DISPARATE IMPACT FOR MINORITY CRIMINALS

The proposals also call for canceling supplemental funding to local police departments if they have had “disproportionate use of force incidents in their jurisdiction.”

Surovell explained that if a particular department uses force disproportionately against a particular group over the course of a year, they could face reduced funding. That means even if more minorities commit crimes, police have to go soft on them. It’s affirmative action for committing crimes.

Ahead of their special session, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus called for immediate action to reform the police.

“The Commonwealth is past the point for studies on policing and law enforcement—immediate action must be taken to eliminate law enforcement abuse, prevent and punish racist behaviors, weed out institutional discrimination, and increase accountability at all levels of law enforcement” VLBC said in a statement Wednesday.

Additional proposed reforms include prohibiting the searches of people or vehicles based on an odor of marijuana. Mandatory minimum sentences will be eliminated. It takes years to find what works and that does, but they are erasing all that with the swipe of a pen.

“The Senate Democratic Caucus has led in the area of Criminal Justice Reform for years and we look forward to working with the Governor and the House of Delegates to collaboratively enact these policies,” the document says.

 


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Tim Shep
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Tim Shep
3 years ago

The whole democratic party has gone so far left that they can’t even see the middle anymore let alone the center right. This Marxist uprising is doing its job.