Republicans want to put a mandatory minimum sentence on adults, teens convicted of vehicle theft

Amy Reid by Amy Reid

State Republicans want to start a mandatory minimum sentence for people convicted of stealing a car.

It’s part of a package of bills they call “tougher on crime.”

One of the bills would require a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days for those convicted of stealing a car – even if the person is under age. They would just serve the time in juvenile detention.

NOW: Republicans talk about their “Tougher on Crime” bill package. One would institute a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days on vehicle theft, including juvenile offenders. #News3Now pic.twitter.com/f5qPo4gTzl — Amy Reid (@amyreidreports) February 6, 2020

At a news conference Thursday, state Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, said this is a big problem in his district near Milwaukee, and he wants to do something about it.

“We just want to make sure law enforcement has the tools they need to start putting enforcement in place,” Kapenga said. “But also as you know, as you see the enforcement being put in place and there’s some teeth in the law, people do pay attention to that so hopefully they don’t commit these crimes.”

Another bill in the package would open up $10 million in grants in the Department of Administration for law enforcement to increase staffing to help police carjacking or for strategic planning to combat the crime.

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