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SB 985

HALO Law.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Danny Britt and 5 co-sponsors

The HALO Law creates a 25-foot safety buffer around first responders and criminalizes approaching, interfering, threatening, or harassing after a verbal warning.

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Bill Summary · SB 985

Summary of North Carolina Senate Bill 985 (2025 Session) – The HALO Law

Title

The Honoring and Listening to Our Officers (HALO) Law

Purpose and intent

SB 985 establishes a safety buffer around first responders while they are performing their duties. The core goal is to protect law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and certain custody/detention staff from approaching individuals who have been warned to stop, thereby reducing interference, threats, and harassment of first responders in the line of duty.

Key provisions

Added statute

  • Adds new § 14-223.1 to Article 30 of Chapter 14 (Criminal Law).

Definitions (for the section)

  • First responder includes:
    • Law enforcement officers
    • Firefighters
    • Emergency medical technicians or medical responders
    • Probation or parole officers
    • Certain detention/custody personnel (including those employed in detention facilities, youth development centers, or correctional institutions under state or local jurisdiction)
  • Harass means to willfully engage in conduct directed at a first responder that intentionally causes substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose.

Prohibited conduct and offense

  • A person who has received a verbal warning not to approach from a first responder engaged in lawful performance of duties must not knowingly and willfully violate the warning and approach or remain within 25 feet of the first responder.
  • Prohibited outcomes if the warning is violated (when the person acts with intent to):
    1. Impede or interfere with the first responder’s ability to perform duties
    2. Threaten the first responder with physical harm
    3. Harass the first responder

Punishment

  • Violations are generally charged as a Class 2 misdemeanor, unless a higher penalty applies under another law.

Financial/implementation provisions

  • Funding for public awareness campaign: The bill appropriates $25,000 in nonrecurring General Fund money for the 2026–2027 fiscal year to the Department of Public Safety for costs related to developing and implementing a marketing campaign to inform the public about G.S. 14-223.1 (the HALO provision).

Effective dates and applicability

  • Effective date:
    • The rest of the act (sections beyond § 14-223.1) becomes effective July 1, 2026.
    • Section 2 (the new § 14-223.1) becomes effective December 1, 2026.
  • Effective for offenses: The HALO provisions (Section 2) apply to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2026.

Who is affected

  • Individuals who approach or remain within 25 feet of a first responder after being warned to back off, while the responder is performing their official duties.
  • First responders themselves are the primary protected group.
  • Public communications and education efforts will target the general public and relevant stakeholders to raise awareness of the HALO requirements.

Practical impact and considerations

  • Establishes a clear 25-foot safety buffer around first responders during active duty.
  • Introduces a criminal penalty (Class 2 misdemeanor) for intentional interference, threats, or harassment after a warning.
  • Creates a new requirement for public safety agencies and the public to understand and comply with the warning protocol and buffer concept.
  • Requires a small, targeted public awareness campaign funded by the state.

If you’d like, I can provide a plain-language FAQ or a quick comparison with existing harassment/interference statutes to highlight how this bill changes current law.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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