Chicago – An Illinois state legislator has introduced a bill that would make it legal for individuals that who might appear to be having a mental health episode to attack police officers. But it would still be illegal to attack firemen like the one the bill’s chief sponsor is married to.
According to CWBChicago, Representative Lisa Davis introduced House Bill 3458, that would “provide a defense to aggravated battery when the individual battered is a peace officer and the officer responded to an incident in which the officer interacted with a person whom a reasonable officer could believe was having a mental health episode and the person with whom the officer interacted has a documented mental illness and acted abruptly.”
State law currently provides for a person to be charged with aggravated battery if they attack someone they know to be “a peace officer, community policing volunteer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee, or Department of Human Services employee.”
Davis’ legislation would only legalize attacks on peace officers. Attacking any of the other professions would remain illegal. Davis is married to a Chicago firefighter.
Second City Cop, a blog dedicated to Chicago policing issues, was the first to report on Davis’ proposal.
“If this passes, mental illness will be an excuse to attack and beat police officers,” the blog wrote this week. “In fact, who wants to bet there will be thousands of people who suddenly have doctor notes that permit them to attack cops?”
