Rep. Warren Petryk column: Supporting tougher crime legislation

Representing Wisconsin State Assembly District 93

By Rep. Warren Petryk
Posted 3/30/23

Last week, the Assembly passed several bills aimed at combating violent crime in Wisconsin. Keeping our families and communities safe has always been one of my top priorities, and our goal this …

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Rep. Warren Petryk column: Supporting tougher crime legislation

Representing Wisconsin State Assembly District 93

Posted

Last week, the Assembly passed several bills aimed at combating violent crime in Wisconsin. Keeping our families and communities safe has always been one of my top priorities, and our goal this session was to create a level of accountability and consequences for those who choose to break the law.

The first set of bills that passed addressed the penalties for reckless driving. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2,900 people were injured in reckless driving incidents last year, and 119 people were killed. That is why I voted in favor of Assembly Bills 55 and 56, which aim to address this tragic issue in the state. The first bill would double the current penalties for all reckless driving offenses, including the amount of prison time a person could face. The second bill will help keep reckless drivers off the road by allowing municipalities to pass an ordinance authorizing law enforcement to impound a vehicle if the owner has unpaid prior fines.

The second set of bills aims to improve the state's parole commission. These changes are the result of an incident that occurred in the summer of 2022 in which a violent criminal was granted parole but the victim's family was never notified. They learned about the release after local media contacted them. This should never be the case.

After reviewing the parole commission's operations, it became clear that it was not being transparent, was not keeping statistics on who was being paroled, and in some cases was not following state law. The bills would require more notices of their meetings as well as providing a list of those they are considering for parole for public review. Finally, the package would require the commission to post any documents used in making parole decisions.

Finally, the Assembly voted to increase penalties for rioters while preserving citizens' first amendment rights. Individuals who turn peaceful protests into violent riots should face consequences. By providing clarity, our local law enforcement and prosecutors will be better equipped to deal with these situations.

The Assembly's reforms aimed to keep our communities safe while taking common-sense steps forward that demonstrate that we can be tough on crime while also being smart about how we deal with it. If you have any suggestions on how to better safeguard our communities, please contact me at Rep.Petryk@legis.wisconsin.gov.

violent crime, Wisconsin State Assembly, Rep. Warren Petryk, politics, opinion, column