Threatening to kill a police officer could eventually carry stricter penalties in New Jersey if a bill proposed in the state Assembly is enacted into law.
The bill was introduced recently by Assemblyman Ronald Dancer (R-Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Burlington) and would make death threats against law enforcement officials a second-degree crime.
Upon the conviction of an individual, the second-degree charge would call for a fiveto 10-year prison term, a maximum fine of $150,000 or a combination of the two.
Under current state law, making such threats against police officers is considered a third-degree offense that carries a prison sentence of three to five years, a $15,000 fine or both.
According to Dancer, the impetus behind the bill came after gang members allegedly made threats toward the Jersey City Police Department following the shooting of Lawrence Campbell, 27, shortly after he gunned down Officer Melvin Santiago in July.
The veracity of those threats against the police were never confirmed.
“Whether these threats were real or exaggerated in this particular incident is inconsequential. … Police officers put their lives on the line every day. They should be afforded every protection under the law,” Dancer said. “Individuals who seek to threaten them need to know they will face significant jail time and monetary penalties.”