The Virginia Senate passed a bill this week that would downgrade assaulting a police officer in the commonwealth from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Senate Bill 5032 would eliminate the mandatory minimum term of confinement for “an assault and battery committed against a judge; magistrate; law-enforcement officer; correctional officer; person directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of inmates; firefighter; or volunteer firefighter or any emergency medical services personnel and provides that such crime can no longer be committed as a simple assault and must result in a bodily injury.”
The measure to defelonize assaulting an officer was introduced by Virginia Democrats in July, following nationwide calls for police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
“Our constituents want change,” state Sen. Mamie Locke, a Democrat, said when introducing the bill. “We hear that loud and clear from them. They want policy change. They’re pretty much done with thoughts and prayers. They’re done with ‘one more discussion’ and hearing us say, ‘We’ll get it done.’ … They want policy change.”
Currently, assaulting a police officer in Virginia is a felony punishable by a minimum of six months in jail.
The bill will need to be approved by the House in the General Assembly before it goes to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, for signature.
