Starting in October, bystanders who crowd too close to police officers, firefighters or paramedics working an active scene across Ohio — including in Indian Hill, Madeira, Mariemont, Terrace Park and Sycamore Township — could face criminal charges under a new state law.

Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 20 on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, creating a mandatory 15-foot buffer zone around first responders at emergency scenes. The law covers police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and probation officers. It takes effect in October 2026, though no specific date within the month has been published.

Here's how it works: a responder must warn a person to stay back before any charge applies. If that person knowingly remains within 15 feet while interfering with the responder's duties or threatening physical harm, they can be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to 180 days in jail and a maximum $1,000 fine.

Penalties escalate in more dangerous situations. If the violation creates a risk of physical harm to a first responder, the charge rises to a fourth-degree felony. If it puts someone other than a first responder at risk, it becomes a fifth-degree felony.

The bill passed the Ohio House 79-18 in June 2025 and the Senate 29-2 in June 2026, according to state legislative records. State Reps. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) and Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) sponsored the legislation.

"HB 20 will be a vital tool to protect our first responders. We must give the first responders the proper space to keep everyone safe," Plummer said in a statement after the signing.

The law expands Ohio's existing obstruction of official business statute. Robert Butler, police chief for the City of Independence and president of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, testified during legislative hearings that the current obstruction law has proven difficult to enforce because of differing court interpretations. Butler said the association supports the public's First Amendment right to record police activity but argued that right does not include physically crowding a scene or creating a "tactical blind spot."

Not everyone backed the measure. Gary Daniels, legislative director for the ACLU of Ohio, argued during committee testimony that the bill's language could be interpreted too broadly and might affect constitutionally protected activities such as peaceful protests.

The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association and the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association all supported the legislation, according to WOWO News.

The law takes effect statewide in October 2026, applying to every department serving the east-side villages, including the Indian Hill Rangers, Madeira Police Department, Mariemont Police Department, Terrace Park Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office patrolling Sycamore Township.