JoeT,
Remember, just because the law exists doesn't mean it's an automatic conviction. There was a discussion earlier about an attack on an official in PA:
http://www.officialforum.com/thread/18394
The short story is the "attacker" didn't realize the other person was an offical, and the "attacker" was an otherwise good person. Therefore, no conviction. It's still up to the system (law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, juries).