Police, fire and EMS crews in West Chester Township and Liberty Township will gain new legal protections under an Ohio law that takes effect Oct. 5.

Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 20 on July 7, creating a first-degree misdemeanor offense for harassing an emergency service responder, according to the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission's September 2026 legislative update. The law applies statewide, covering every local department.

State Rep. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) and State Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) co-sponsored the bill. Hall, a third-term legislator who also serves as a part-time volunteer firefighter with the Madison Township Fire Department in Butler County, chairs the House Government Oversight Committee.

"I'm grateful to see this commonsense bill signed into law," Hall said in an Ohio House press release. "It will directly increase the safety and wellbeing of our communities and our first responders by making sure they are able to do their jobs."

Under the new statute, Ohio Revised Code 2927.31, a person commits the offense after receiving a warning not to approach. If they then approach or remain within 14 feet of a responder performing official duties, two forms of conduct qualify as harassment. The first is engaging in behavior that causes substantial emotional distress to a responder and interferes with their duties. The second is interrupting, disrupting, hindering, impeding or interfering with a responder's ability to perform those duties.

The bill also raises penalties for obstructing official business. Under prior law, obstruction was a second-degree misdemeanor. HB 20 elevates it to a first-degree misdemeanor. When the obstruction creates a risk of physical harm to a first responder, the charge jumps to a fourth-degree felony.

Probation officers are now included in the legal definition of "emergency service responder" under the law.

Hall represents Ohio's 46th House District, which covers eastern Butler County including Monroe, Middletown and New Miami. His district borders the West Chester-Liberty Township area.

The law takes effect statewide on Oct. 5.