Originally Posted by The Batlord

It also has to do with maintaining law and order by attaching greater consequences to actions against those who are charged with maintaining it. Does it seem fair that committing a crime against someone who just happens to have a badge will result in more serious repercussions? Maybe not. But if assaulting a police officer didn't result in a more serious charge than a regular assault, then it would probably result in a lot more assaults on police officers, which may very well undermine the safety of the public by making police more likely to be targeted.