A new bill being proposed by a representative from St. Louis County would create stricter penalties for carjackers. Republican Representative Brad Christ joined The Show on KMOX to talk about why he introduced the legislation, and what exactly it would do.
"Currently in the burglary statute in Missouri, motor vehicles are not in the statute. So it would put vehicles in the burglary statute and increase those penalties," he said. He added that the bill would also increase penalties for people who try to break into multiple cars. "And that's hopefully going to prevent these folks from just going door to door and juggling door handles."
He added that the penalties would be further increased if the perpetrator had a firearm.
Christ acknowledged that harsher penalties won't always stop carjackings from happening, and that they should be paired with law enforcement and prosecution.
"We're handling crime a few different ways in Jefferson City. This session, we passed out of the house House Bill 301, which would allow the state to appoint a special prosecutor in areas where crimes aren't being prosecuted, and that passed a few weeks ago, and it's headed over to the Senate," he said. "And then I have another bill, House Bill 702, which will hopefully be heard on the floor this week or next, to bring back some state oversight to the Metropolitan Police Department in St. Louis."
Hear more from Brad Christ on the need for harsher penalties for carjacking statewide on The Show:
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