Bill would make killing police a hate crime
A state assemblyman from Staten Island is pushing to make the slaying of police officers in New York a designated hate crime. Currently, crimes specifically targeting racial minorities or gay people
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Aug 5, 2016, 6:21 AM
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Updated 2,991 days ago
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A state assemblyman from Staten Island is pushing to make the slaying of police officers in New York a designated hate crime.
Currently, crimes specifically targeting racial minorities or gay people carry the hate crime designation -- and more severe penalties.
Republican Assemblyman Ron Castorina Jr. says police should be on that list.
The "Blue Lives Matter" bill comes in the wake of recent attacks on police in Dallas, Baton Rouge and other cities.
Some Long Islanders voiced support of the bill, describing the attacks on police as assassinations.
Others opposed it.
"Making a law that says killing a cop is a hate crime...that a cop's life is more important than someone else's life, that says a lot," says Kayla Knight, of Rockville Centre.
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