I guess the NYPD realized that ‘resisting arrest’ was getting a little cliche as their standby charge for people they just don’t like. Now they can put them in prison for four years so they can better contemplate their proper place in society.
I think you hit the nail on the head right there.
I've had two friends in NYC arrested recently for "resisting arrest" without any other charges. How is that even legal?
One friend in Brooklyn started filming a cop when he started asking her questions. The cop abruptly snatched her phone, twisted her arm behind her back, and arrested her for resisting arrest.
The other friend was a passenger in a car stopped for a DUI in Queens. After the driver blew 0.01 and 0.00, the cop started roughing up the driver for mouthing off. The passenger got out to see what was going on, and the cops attacked him, ending up breaking my friend's foot.
They guy with the broken foot was arrested for resisting arrest. The driver was arrested for a DUI. This happened a few days after Hurricane Sandy, and his bloodwork or lab work whatever it's called still "isn't ready." Seven months, and they can't get his BAC.
The whole reason he got tuned up was that once he blew 0.00, he thought they would let him go as he knew he wasn't drinking. But the cops told him the machine wasn't calibrated so they have to take him in for a blood sample. He flipped his lid and asked them what would happen if the "uncalibrated" breathalizer came back over the limit? That's how it all went down hill.
And the cops still have his car seven months later, plus he has over $10k in legal fees so far. Time is running out for the DA, but even if he's not convicted, he'll have an uphill battle getting his car back with those civil forfeiture proceedings.
So I guess all three of those hardened criminals would be screwed by this bill if it passes.