The City of Cambridge is proposing making harming a cop a “hate crime”.

It’s a hot-button issue right now, both nationally in the wake of a series of politically charged police-killings (against a backdrop of a generally very safe year for police) and the killing of a rural Minnesota sheriff’s deputy over this past weekend.

It’s a dumb idea, and not just because “hate crime” legislation is misguided.

Police have a dangerous job; not the most dangerous job, but why split hairs?

But right now, any sort of attack against a police officer – from lethal force to harsh words – is already accompanied by harsh upcharges and sentence enhancements.  If the thought of “life without parole” doesn’t deter a potential cop-killer, why would “life without parole and a hate crime conviction?”