Battery Against a Law Enforcement Officer

As a criminal defense firm, Martin Law Group has helped many clients who have been accused of battering a law enforcement officer. We have seen cases where a person was trying to stand up for their rights and the officer instigated the problem, yet the citizen was the one who was blamed. We have also handled matters where a person was intoxicated and did not realize the person was an officer.

To be charged with battery against a law enforcement officer, the purported victim does not need to sustain any actual injury. A mere push or even soft contact can lead to such a charge.

Kansas State Laws for Battery Against a Law Enforcement Officer

In K.S.A. § 21-5413, battery against a law enforcement officer involves committing battery against any kind of uniformed and on-duty policeman, peace officer, fireman, correctional officer, etc. The charges could potentially arise even if the law enforcement officer was undercover or out of uniform, though. The penalties related to these charges can vary from a class A person misdemeanor to a severity level 3, person felony, depending on the type of officer and how badly they were injured.

Penalties that could be associated with your charges include:

• Maximum fine of $2,500 (misdemeanor)
• Up to one year in jail (misdemeanor)
• Up to 100 months behind bars (felony)
• Up to a $300,000 fine (felony)

Consult with an Johnson County Criminal Defense Attorney

Prosecutors and Assistant District Attorneys take this crime very seriously. They feel like they are protecting their own by harshly dealing with defendants who have been charged with battery against a police officer and, therefore, often look at the accused with an unfair bias.