Creating an enhanced penalty for harassing, intimidating, or recklessly endangering a law enforcement officer, a fire fighter, an emergency medical technician, a first responder, or an ambulance driver, and providing a penalty. (FE)

Under this bill, a person who harasses or intimidates certain public employees, including a law enforcement officer; a firefighter; an emergency medical technician;

a first responder; an ambulance driver; a commission warden; a probation, extended supervision, or parole agent; a school district officer or employee; an operator or driver of a public transit vehicle; a public or emergency health care provider; a judge;

or an official, employee, or agent of the departments of revenue, safety and professional services, or workforce development, may be required to forfeit up to $10,000. A person who recklessly endangers any of the specified public employees is guilty of a Class F felony, except that if the circumstances demonstrate an utter disregard for human life, the person is guilty of a Class E felony and may be fined up to $50,000, imprisoned for up to 15 years, or both.

Under the bill, the greater penalties apply if the public employee was acting in his or her official capacity when the crime occurred and the person knew or should have known that the victim was a public employee.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report concerning the proposed penalty and the costs or savings that are likely to result if the bill is enacted.