Crime Bill Passes House
House Speaker Bobby Harrell issued the following statement about the passage of major crime legislation today:
“We owe it to our citizens, our community and our Law Enforcement Officers to protect them by making sure violent repeat criminals stay where they belong – behind bars. That is why Senator McConnell and I have been working closely with our local Law Enforcement Officers and community leaders on new crime legislation that will better protect our citizens and make our community a safer place to live.
“If a convicted criminal does get probation, that offender should still be subject to searches during this period. These offenders are serving out their remaining sentence in the public in lieu of jail; therefore these searches are completely warranted. Also, if a repeat offender is charged with a new crime, our judges should be able to consider that fact and have the authority to deny dangerous suspects bail.
“All too often, we have seen violent crimes committed by repeat offenders who have run unchecked on our city streets. The recent tragedies our community has suffered highlights the need for new, tougher crime laws that defend the rights of law-abiding citizens, instead of protecting those of career criminals intent on doing harm.”
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