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| Calif. Bill to Protect Jail Officers Advances |
| By Record Searchlight |
| Published: 03/10/2003 |
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A committee unanimously approved Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa's bill to stiffen penalties for attacks on custodial jail officers after hearing testimony February 25 from a Shasta County corrections officer who was beaten last summer. The Public Safety Committee voted 7-0 to make the attempted murder of a corrections officer the equivalent to that of a peace officer or firefighter. A conviction for such a crime results in life imprisonment with the possibility for parole after 15 years. Corrections officer Tim Renault was among those who testified before the committee. Renault was ambushed June 22 by two inmates in the Shasta County Jail who were trying to escape. Assistant District Attorney Greg Gaul and sheriff's Capt. Don VanBuskirk also testified at the Sacramento hearing. Jail captain VanBuskirk testified that corrections officers 'work side-by-side with sworn deputies and it is grossly unfair to treat those crimes committed against them differently.' LaMalfa agreed. 'It makes no sense to treat them differently than any other public safety officer working around criminals,' said LaMalfa, R-Richvale. The bill now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which may consider it in the next couple of weeks, said David Reade, LaMalfa's chief of staff. The freshman lawmaker introduced the bill in response to the attack on Renault, 24, who was beaten with a hatchet fashioned from a cell floor drain cover, soap, paper and twine. As a result of the incident, Renault has seven metal plates in his skull and two in his jaw. |
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Do you know someone who has been arrested in Waco or McLennan County? It’s important to find a good Waco lawyer to represent you in the matter involving your own liberty. Look for the best Waco Criminal Defense Attorney that you can find. Whether you have been accused rightly or wrongly, it’s important to know your legal rights that concern whether you go to jail.