Bill named for Jersey City officer killed in 2009 shootout clears Assembly panel

By Ron Zeitlinger/The Jersey Journal
February 06, 2014 at 4:19 PM

Legislation named for a Jersey City police officer who died in a wild gun battle in 2009 was approved today by a state Assembly panel.

The bill, designated as "Marc Anthony's Law" for Marc DiNardo, would make the use of a defaced or stolen firearm to injure a police officer a crime, and also toughen the penalties for defacing a firearm. The bill is sponsored by Assembly Democrats Charles Mainor, D-Jersey City, a Jersey City police detective, and Gordon Johnson, D-Teaneck.

The bill was released today by the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee.

"Police officers like Detective DiNardo put their lives on the line every day to protect others," said Mainor, who chairs the committee. "Police work is inherently risky. This bill hopes to reduce that risk and prevent officers from becoming targets by criminalizing the use of these firearms to harm police officers, and enhancing the penalties for defacing or possessing a defaced firearm."
The bill, A-823, would make it a first degree crime to use a defaced or stolen firearm to cause serious bodily injury to a law enforcement officer, and a second degree crime to use a defaced or stolen firearm to cause bodily injury to a law enforcement officer.
The bill also would upgrade the penalty for defacing a firearm from a third degree crime to a second degree crime, which is punishable for a term of imprisonment between five and 10 years; a fine of up to $150,000; or both.

The penalty for acquiring or possessing a defaced firearm would be upgraded from a crime of the fourth degree to a crime of the third degree, which is punishable for a term of imprisonment between three and five years; a fine of up to $15,000; or both.

DiNardo was wounded in the July 16, 2009 shootout on Reed Street after police had cornered two shooting suspects in an apartment building. He died from his injuries five days later. Three other Jersey City police officers and a Port Authority officer were wounded. The two suspects, who police say had fired at them earlier that morning and were sought in another shooting, were shot dead.
"Law enforcement officers ensure public safety by essentially putting their own at risk," said Johnson (D-Bergen). "Yes, it is part of the job, but it is a job that not everyone can or is willing to do. We should extend every possible protection to our law enforcement officers who face danger on a routine basis. Not just for the officers, but the families they leave behind when tragedy strikes."

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... panel_1.html#incart_river

GOD BLESS YOU MARK. NEVER FORGOTTEN.

Assembly committee approves bill prompted by slaying of Jersey City police detective in 2009; would make injuring an officer with defaced or stolen weapon a first-degree crime

January 31, 2012, 3:00 AM
By The Jersey Journal

A bill named for a slain Jersey City police officer that would make it a first-degree crime to injure an officer with a defaced or stolen weapon advanced yesterday out of the state Assembly's Law and Public Safety Committee.

"I'm very happy," Jersey City Assemblyman Charles Mainor, the bill's sponsor and committee chair, said yesterday about "MarcAnthony's Law" being voted out of committee.

The bill is named for slain Jersey City Police Detective MarcAnthony DiNardo, who was killed by a robbery suspect as police searched a building on Reed Street on July 16, 2009.

Mainor, who is also a Jersey City police detective, said he was especially gratified the legislation, which now goes before the full Assembly, could advance during his first meeting as committee chairman.

"It was an honor to put forward this bill named after my colleague," Mainor said.

"I really feel his death was not in vain."

hmmmm.......

using, and being in possession of a defaced firearm is already illegal.

nothing like making it even more illegal, cause that's what you do instead of something.......

I haven't kept up with this story, but what happened to the commander who ordered Detective DiNardo and the others to enter a house where two fugitives were cornered and known to be armed to the teeth?

Was there any sort of official reprimand for sending those men into a hail of bullets?

So currently it is not a first degree crime to cause seriously bodily injury with a gun? Why does it matter if the gun is stolen or not?

You illegally and deliberately shoot someone with a gun causing serious bodily injury, I'd expect that to be the highest degree of crime you can get.

Robin.

Anti-crime bill to be named for slain Jersey City police officer

January 29, 2012, 2:00 PM
By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

The state Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee is set to vote tomorrow on a bill named for slain Jersey City Police Detective MarcAnthony DiNardo that would toughen penalties for those who injure an officer with a stolen or defaced gun, officials said.

Earlier this year, Assemblyman and Jersey City Police Officer Charles Mainor was named chairman of the Law and Public Safety Committee. He will be chairing his first meeting of the committee when the vote on the "MarcAnthony's Law" is taken, Assembly Democratic spokesman Tom Hester Jr. said.

"This bill has been a long wait to protect our police officers," Mainor said.

The law would make it a first-degree crime to cause serious bodily injury to a law enforcement officer using a stolen gun, officials said. A first-degree crime carries a possible sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison with no chance of parole until 85 percent of the term is served.

On July 16, 2009, five Jersey City police officers were shot as they went door-to-door inside an apartment building on Reed Street while searching for two armed robbery suspects. DiNardo was fatally wounded by one of the suspects, both of whom were killed by police.

If the bill passes Monday it must still be voted on by the full Assembly and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie before becoming law.