Some Whitestown police officers were recently the victims of a graffiti attack on their police cruisers and, in one instance, on a residence garage door. The Whitestown police chief decried this action and said it was a crime not just against the police officers, but against the entire public. Thereafter, the Whitestown Town Council unanimously passed a resolution asking state legislators to increase criminal penalties for this type of "crimes" against police officers.
Question - should it be more of a crime if a police cruiser gets sprayed with epithets rather than my personal "civilian" vehicle ? I view this in the same vein as pressing for separate charge for a "hate" crime. If someone is assaulted by someone who hates them, shouldn't a charge of assault be sufficient. Why is it important to further define an assault categorically ?
Question - should it be more of a crime if a police cruiser gets sprayed with epithets rather than my personal "civilian" vehicle ? I view this in the same vein as pressing for separate charge for a "hate" crime. If someone is assaulted by someone who hates them, shouldn't a charge of assault be sufficient. Why is it important to further define an assault categorically ?