Many new laws went into effect yesterday including the new Iowa law that increases penalties for assaults against law enforcement officers and first responders.
The law protects law-enforcement officers, first responders, and corrections officers by raising penalties for assaults to:
- Up to 10 years in prison when the assault involves a dangerous weapon or is meant to inflict serious injury
- Up to 5 years when the assault causes bodily injury
- A mandatory minimum sentence of 7 days in jail for all other assaults against first responders
The law also raises the penalty for spitting on law-enforcement officers, first responders, or corrections officers to assault with other bodily fluids.