Schuette Rolls Out Public Safety Proposal

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette took to the podium this week to lay out a proposal for increased public safety – more than a month ahead of the Governor’s expected special message on public safety. The Governor, Speaker of the House Jase Bolger (R-Marshall), and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) are reviewing the proposal.

The first of the two pillars of Mr. Schuette’s proposal calls for the use of $140 million of the budget surplus to hire 1,000 new police officers. This piece, however, was met with mixed responses from some members of the Legislature as they cautioned against the state going down the road of committing to expenditures that may not be able to be paid for in future years.

The other pillar of the proposal calls for an automatic 25-year prison sentence for an individual convicted of a fourth violent felony. The “VO-4” proposal allows for the first three felonies to be any combination of violent or non-violent; however, if the fourth is violent (examples include carjacking, kidnapping, armed robbery, manslaughter, criminal sexual conduct, etc.) the individual would receive a mandatory 25-year sentence.

Other portions of the Attorney General’s proposal include the enhancement of laws targeting human trafficking, child sexual abuse, and tougher sentencing for public officials convicted of taking bribes.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, January 27, 2012 10:49 AM
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