Interference with Public Duties is an offense that applies when a person with criminal negligence interferes with which of the following?

• A. A peace officer performing a duty
• B. A firefighter fighting a fire
• C. An EMS provider during transport
• D. A bystander observing the scene

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that Interference with Public Duties applies when a person acts with criminal negligence to hinder a peace officer who is performing official duties. A peace officer carrying out an arrest, traffic stop, or any official duty is exercising a public function, and hindering that performance crosses into this offense.

This is why the best answer is interfering with a peace officer while they’re performing a duty. The bystander isn’t performing a public duty, so there’s no interference with an official function to trigger this statute. Interfering with a firefighter or EMS provider would fall under different offenses or safeguards, not this specific one, even though those actions could be illegal under other rules.

Criminal negligence means more than mere carelessness; it involves a gross deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would observe, creating a substantial risk that the officer’s duties cannot be carried out. So, if someone’s conduct shows such a disregard—effectively blocking, obstructing, or otherwise hindering a peace officer in the course of official work—that aligns with this offense.