Riley enlists crime-fighting posse

Group wants Legislature to enact tougher laws

By Yvonne Wenger

The Post and Courier

Friday, January 30, 2009

COLUMBIA — Law enforcement officers and mayors tired of a deluge of criminals plaguing their communities came together here Thursday to work up a plan for persuading the Legislature to sign off on new laws.

Mullen

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley called the coalition together and presented it with a body of proposed bills that would give law enforcement more authority to search criminals out on probation and parole, put those who attempt murder behind bars for life and make gun laws tougher, especially for drug dealers.

The proposals, eight in all, are aimed at creating a criminal justice system that offenders will take seriously, members of the coalition said.

"Most criminals don't fear the system," said Reggie Lloyd, director of the State Law Enforcement Division. "We pay a price for that, and we're paying in human lives and misery every day."

Crime-fighting tools

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley led a coalition Thursday designed to push a package of crime-fighting tools through the Legislature this year. Here are the proposals for new state laws:

• Stop convicted criminals from legally possessing handguns or assault weapons.

• Toughen penalties for offenders who possess firearms while selling or making drugs.

• Increase punishment for attempted murder from a maximum of 20 years to the possibility of life in prison.

• Include assault weapons, specifically AK-47s, in the laws governing illegal use and possession of handguns.

• Put more penalties in place for illegally possessing a handgun or assault weapon.

• Require probation and parolees to submit to enhanced monitoring with or without warrants.

• Bring truth to sentencing by requiring criminals to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences in jail.

• Permit judges to deny bail for repeat offenders.

Lloyd and state Attorney General Henry McMaster joined Riley's team from the Lowcountry — Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson and Folly Beach Public Safety Chief Terry Boatwright.

About 30 officials statewide turned out for the meeting at a law firm across the street from the Statehouse, including representatives from Harleyville, Columbia, Greenville, Rock Hill, Florence and Sumter.

Riley began a push for new crime-fighting tools more than two years ago, but even with allies such as Republican Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell and Democrat Sen. Robert Ford, both of Charleston, the ideas did not make it into law.

This year Riley decided on a new course of action with the coalition. The goal is for a unified statewide push to convince legislators of the reasons the new laws are needed.

To organize, the officials in attendance signed up for one of three tasks.

Mullen asked them to split up into groups: one that would keep the rest informed about the bills as they move through the legislative process, one to come up with strategic approaches to make sure the bills don't stall along the way, and a third to mobilize the community to attend meetings and put pressure on lawmakers.

"The only way we lose is to let inertia win," Riley said.

Several of the bills passed the Senate last year, only to languish in the House and specifically its Judiciary Committee.

Sen. John Scott, a Columbia Democrat who served his 16th year on the House Judiciary Committee in 2008, said a major problem at the core of the crime-fighting package is the potential to stomp on civil rights.

"That's the difficult part. We want criminals caught but we need to make sure law enforcement doesn't use excessive force," Scott said.

Previous story

Riley calls anew for anti-crime reforms, published 01/23/09

One especially controversial bill regards granting authority to law enforcement officers to search parolees and those on probation with or without a warrant.

Wilson, the solicitor for Charleston and Berkeley counties, said the coalition needs to stress that people on probation and parole are prisoners who are serving their sentences outside a jailhouse.

"These are things our Legislature can do for our men and women in blue," Wilson said.

Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.