Crime & Security

1. Abolish Parole for Violent Felonies

We have seen that incarcerating violent criminals for longer periods of time works. Violent crime in America is down in direct correlation with increasing prison population. Violent offenders who bring physical harm to others should get long,  stiff prison sentences their first time around. One miserable failure is our parole system. The facts are that criminals out on parole represent a significant portion of repeat offenders. The time has come for parole to be abolished in Pennsylvania for any person convicted of a violent felony such as murder, rape, aggravated assault, kidnapping and armed robbery. These people should be given long flat sentences which should be served in their entirety. 

2. Protect Pennsylvania From Illegal Criminal Aliens   

Today there are approximately 20 milion illegal aliens in the US many of whom are engaging in additional criminal activity aside from their illegal entry into the US. The 2000 census estimated that there are between 100,000-200,000 illegal aliens in Pennsylvania up from about 27,000 in 1992. That number is now even higher. There are presently about 800,000 criminal illegal aliens at large in the US who have been ordered deported. Many have criminal records in their country of origin.  Illegal aliens come into contact with law enforcement on a daily basis committing violent crime, like rape and murder,  drug crime and crimes such as Identity Theft, Tampering With Records, and  Passing False Documents. The FBI and the Director of Homeland Security recently warned that the continued influx of thousands of unidentifiable  illegal aliens each year is a national security problem . 

The following needs to be done:

• Lobby for passage of the CLEAR ACT by the US Congress which will expressly  empower state and local police to arrest and detain illegal aliens soley on their illegal immigration status.
• Seek to enter into Memorandums of Understanding  now with the Department of Justice  to expressly empower state and local law enforcement in Pennsylvania  the authority to detain illegal aliens solely on immigration violations.
• Investigate and prosecute under state law  employers who repeatedly employ illegal aliens in order to hold them  accountable and subject to both criminal and civil sanctions.
• Advocate legislation declaring foreign ID cards used soley by illegal aliens as unacceptable and  an unrecognized form of ID.

3. Pass Legislation Creating a Gang Statute that Criminalizes Gang Membership

ISSUE: Criminal gangs play a large role in the gun violence on our street as they deal drugs, steal cars, commit robberies and use gun violence to engage in their turf wars. Pennsylvania is one of a number of states without a gang statute.

SOLUTION: Pennsylvania needs  to be aggressive. We should not  pass a law that is weak and ineffective just to say we have one. Pennsylvania law should  make it a crime just to be  a  member of a criminal gang. It must make it clear that  gang membership alone will result in stiff jail sentences.  This will allow law enforcement to aggressively go after the young thugs who terrorize our communities, and breakup and put out of business a culture of gang worship and membership. We should not wait for the next homicide, robbery or drug deal. It is time to attack the nests of the gangs. With leadership from the attorney general, we can carefully craft a statute that will pass constitutional muster to make gang membership itself illegal. Breaking up criminal street gangs in our cities will strike a major blow to gun violence.

4. Create Gun Trafficking Unit in OAG

This unit would be dedicated to multi-county illegal gun trafficking which would work in conjunction with local police and district attorneys in targeted, high violence areas of Pennsylvania.

5. Implement By Attorney General  Regulation Mandatory  Reporting of Stolen/Lost Firearms

The attorney general must implement by AG regulation a regulation  that requires the reporting of stolen/lost firearms. This would eliminate “cover” for those who illegally sell guns to criminals and then later claim their gun was stolen when it shows up in the commission of a crime.