Public Safety Law Goes Into Effect
The Missouri Senate returns to Jefferson City this week for an extraordinary session, called by the governor to address the epidemic levels of crime increasingly plaguing our state. It is appalling to me that three of America’s 25 most-violent cities are found in Missouri, and Missouri has the third-highest murder rate in the country. This problem is especially acute in our cities, where I believe shortages of police officers and soft-on-crime prosecutors make the problem worse. But increasingly, we are seeing a rise in crime in our suburban and rural areas. I am hopeful this week will produce important legislation to address this problem. I will update you as our work on this bill is completed.
Just as important as our current work on the issue of public safety is Senate Bill 600, which went into effect last week, August 28, after being signed by the governor earlier this summer. This important legislation includes language to combat vehicle hijacking, which I sponsored early in the 2020 legislative session as Senate Bill 561. The adoption of this provision concludes a two-year effort to criminalize vehicle hijacking begun in 2019, when I introduced similar legislation.
The new law defines vehicle hijacking as an attempt to seize possession or control of a vehicle using, or threatening the use of physical force. The offense will be considered a Class B felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Vehicle hijacking escalates to a Class A felony, subject to a 30-year (or potentially life) sentence, if the perpetrator uses a deadly weapon, causes physical harm to anyone in the vehicle or the vehicle is occupied by a minor child or special victim at the time of the crime. Senate Bill 600 also contains my bill to increase penalties for armed criminal action.
Carjacking has become alarmingly common in St. Louis, where more than 300 vehicle hijackings occurred in 2018, according to the attorney general’s office. Passage of a statute to specifically address carjacking was a priority for Missouri’s attorney general, who publicly called for passage of SB 561. The carjacking provision of that bill was eventually added to SB 600, which also stiffens penalties for second-degree murder, armed criminal action, felons in possession of a firearm and criminal street gang activity. The measure passed by the Legislature and sent to the governor received endorsements from prosecutors and organizations representing law enforcement officers in Missouri.
As always, thank you for your interest in our work at the State Capitol. I look forward to discussing some of the important issues affecting our state and our community in my next report. It is an honor and a privilege to serve you in the Missouri Senate!
Very Sincerely,
Robert F. (Bob) Onder, Jr.