Fitzgerald Introduces Bill to Keep Offenders Off the Street

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) issued the following statement after introducing the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act. This bill would combat radical bail policies by ensuring judges and prosecutors know a defendant’s criminal history and bring accountability to bail bonds.

Specifically, the bill would allow state and local jurisdictions to use Byrne grant funding to develop and maintain a public safety report for each defendant charged with a violent offense and report this information to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The legislation would also define bail bonds as an insurance product so that they must comply with federal insurance fraud laws and background check requirements.

“Weak bail policies are making our communities less safe. We saw this happen in Waukesha, Wisconsin when a violent criminal was released back into the community before eventually killing 6 beloved community members in the annual Christmas parade,” said Rep. Fitzgerald. “I introduced the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act with this tragic incident in mind, to uphold strong bail polcies and to keep public safety at the forefront.”

“The violent criminal who killed six members of our community during a Christmas Parade in 2021 should not have been out on the streets,” said Rep. Steil (WI-01). “He had a lengthy criminal history, including previously running over a woman. The attack is a stark reminder of the harm soft-on-crime policies and lenient prosecutors have in our communities. This bill takes an important step to give law enforcement the tools they need to prevent repeat offenders from endangering others.” 

“Violent offenders are escaping jail on get-out-of-jail free cards and then turning around and murdering police officers, assaulting intimate partners, and committing many other violent crimes throughout the nation that would not have happened had judges been given a complete criminal history of a defendant arrested by the police.  This legislation ends that loophole nationally, forcing states to give judges a complete public safety report prior to releasing criminal defendants,” said American Bail Coalition Executive Director Jeff Clayton. 

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.