Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Address Violence Against Medical Professionals

A pair of Alaska lawmakers on Friday introduced a bill that would allow police officers to arrest patients who assault staff at health care facilities and creates sentencing enhancements for crimes against medical professionals. House Bill 312, co-sponsored by Reps. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, and Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, would allow a police officer to arrest a person who commits fourth-degree assault at a health care facility without first obtaining a warrant if the assailant was not seeking medical treatment at the time or was stable for discharge. Alaska law defines fourth-degree ...