Includes certain armed security officers regulated by "Detective Melvin Vincent Santiago's Law" in crimes of assault and disarming an officer.

This bill would upgrade simple assault against certain armed security officers to aggravated assault. Specifically, it adds "armed security officers regulated pursuant to P.L.2004, c.134 (C.45:19A-1 et seq.) and sections 5 and 6 of P.L.2015, c.295" (known as "Detective Melvin Vincent Santiago's Law") to the list of protected individuals under assault statutes. Currently, simple assault against law enforcement officers is typically a disorderly persons offense, but this bill would make such assaults against these security officers a third-degree crime if bodily injury occurs, or a fourth-degree crime if not. The bill also expands the disarming statute to include these security officers, applying when they're clearly identifiable as performing their duties or in uniform.