Proposed legislation would toughen penalties against drivers who flee police in Wisconsin. The measure from is from state Representative Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield).
Donovan testified on Thursday before the Assembly and highlighted the impacts caused by reckless drivers, particularly those fleeing law enforcement. “It is sickening the devastation that they leave in their wake and the community that they leave in destruction.”
Mark Hagen’s 32-year-old daughter Erin Mogenson and her unborn child were killed last November when a fleeing felon struck her vehicle at 70 miles an hour in Milwaukee. “I plead with you to stop ignoring the carnage and death created by reckless driving and the criminals like my daughter’s killer who turned automobiles into killing tools,” he told lawmakers.
Brown County District Attorney David Lasee testified in favor of the bill. “These are such dangerous incidents. I think this sends a message to the people who are committing these offenses or considering committing these offenses that we take this seriously.”
The measure (AB 536) increases penalties and mandatory minimum sentences for various offenses involving fleeing an officer. Lasee and Donovan called those increases reasonable.