ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers filed a new bill to help protect emergency responders from harassment while working to save lives.
The HALO Act would set a 25-foot area around an accident or emergency scene around paramedics and other emergency personnel.
Anyone who harasses or otherwise impedes or interferes with a firefighter, emergency medical technician or other emergency caregiver’s ability to do their jobs could face penalties for doing so.
If a first responder tells them to back off, but they ignore those warnings and stay within the 25-foot zone in order to interfere or impede their ability to work, threaten the first responders with physical harm or harass them, they would face up to $5,000 in fines, per Georgia law, and/or up to a year in jail.
The bill says harassment is defined as “knowingly and willfully engage in any conduct directed toward a first responder which intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that first responder and serves no legitimate purpose.”
If someone charged under the bill’s provisions fails to show up for trial, they could lose their ability to be granted a bail bond, similar to violations of laws related to murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and other related felonies from the Georgia statutes.
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