MILWAUKEE — The City of Milwaukee's car theft rate ranks among the highest in the nation. Many are wondering why those caught stealing cars do not face stiffer penalties.
"One of the myths that occurs out there is that we don't aggressively prosecute. That's just not the case," said Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.
Chisholm points out auto theft, for example, which is a felony.
"It's 'operating an auto without owner's consent,'" he said, adding if someone is charged and convicted, the amount of time behind bars would be two years, and two years of extended supervision.
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He believes the penalty should be stiffer.
"I definitely think we should increase it. I definitely do," he said. "If you want to convey the seriousness of the offense, you should probably convey that in what the consequences are. For example, a stolen car becomes a reckless driving incident as soon as the police discover it's a stolen car and they start fleeing from the police."
The idea of increasing the penalty of this one law would need the approval of our state legislature.
Chisholm acknowledged this possible change alone is a very small piece of the puzzle that will take a lot more to solve.
