Received this legislative notice this afternoon, which seems to indicate that the statists over on the other side of the state still haven't learned their lessons.
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A troubling bill has been introduced into the Wisconsin Assembly and is on the fast-track.
AB 237
A copy of this bill is here:
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/proposals/ab237
To summarize, in Wisconsin, there are some offenses that are "arrestable" offenses. (Burglary, theft, arson, disorderly conduct, assault, drunk driving etc) There are other offenses that are just civil forfeitures. These would include: speeding and other traffic enforcement, parking violations, noise complaints, etc. These offenses which are punishable only by a fine, are not "arrestable" offenses.
Under AB 237 that is all about to change.
AB 237 gives police the authority to arrest you for ANY violation including things so mundane as traffic tickets, parking violations, noise complaints.
Wisconsin is not a police state, nor should we allow it to become one.
PLEASE contact your state legislators today and ask them to OPPOSE AB 237.
http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx
If the legislature feels that there are offenses that should be "arrestable" they should specify those individually, NOT give the police blanket authority to arrest you for any violation no matter how minor.
This law is being advocated by Brookfield Asst. Police Chief Collins. Here is a link to video of his testimony to the assembly committee in which Asst. Chief Collins misrepresents the truth about a lawsuit against his department and also misrepresents the truth suggesting that if the legislature does NOT pass this law, all of the violations that currently are just civil forfeitures (fines) will be unenforceable. This is categorically false:
His testimony begins at the 54 minute mark.
http://www.wiseye.org/videoplayer/vp.html?sid=7103
Asst. Chief Collins testifies that if the police do not have the power to arrest for EVEN minor violations like speeding, traffic violations, parking violations, the police will not be able to do anything. This is not true. Police can STILL issue citations and if those citations are not paid then A JUDGE can issue a warrant for someone's arrest. We should have judges issuing arrest orders for parking violations that go unpaid, not allowing police to arrest you for something so simple as a parking violation when it is issued. The police should not be able to take you from your vehicle and arrest you for a simple traffic violation. Under this law, they could if they want to.
Asst. Chief Collins also claims that this law will protect his department from being sued for civil rights violations under US Sec. 1983. This is also not true. An illegal arrest is an illegal arrest. He cites the instance where Wisconsin Carry sued Brookfield for an illegal arrest.
* EVEN if this new law (AB 237) passes, that arrest would STILL have been illegal and WCI could still sue departments that arrest people with no probable cause and no reasonable suspicion and illegally search and seize their property.
AB 237 is a power grab by the police. The need for it is being misrepresented by Asst. Chief Collins. This law has been introduced in previous legislative sessions and failed to pass. Please contact your state legislators using the link below and ask them to REJECT AB 237 and not give Wisconsin Police unlimited authority to arrest for minor infractions that are currently just fines/civil forfeiture.
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A cookie cutter that would drop certain chunks of Madison onto the Milwaukee area and a fault-line that would put most of that into Lake Michigan... the stuff dreams are made of.
* It was, and it cost the city a painful amount of change.
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