In California, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has signed into law a bill stating that any “able-bodied person 18 years of age or older” is no longer required to assist a police officer when they are making an arrest, Fox News reports.
The law overturns a pre-existing law, the California Posse Comitatus Act of 1872, under which it was a misdemeanor to refuse to assist an officer, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.
The California State Sheriff’s Association issued a statement against the passing of the new law, saying that they are “unconvinced that this statute should be repealed.”
This law is the latest step by the state’s governing Democratic Party to weaken law enforcement officials and efforts, as part of the broader anti-police rhetoric that has been gradually rising in the Democratic Party nationwide. Most recently, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has come under fire for a new policy emphasizing restraint by police officers, which led to several officers showing no reaction when being doused with water buckets by assailants, in a series of videos that have since gone viral.
California is also a “sanctuary state” for illegal aliens, where local law enforcement does not have to cooperate with federal officials in the detaining and deporting of illegals. Other ways in which California has softened on crime include a bill in 2017 reducing the punishment for knowingly exposing someone to HIV, making the crime punishable as a misdemeanor instead of a felony.