SB183: Bill Text

LRB-2057/2

JEO:jlg:km

1999 - 2000 LEGISLATURE

1999 Senate BILL 183

June 3, 1999 - Introduced by Senators Robson and Roessler, cosponsored by Representatives Schooff, Balow, Colon, Hasenohrl, Musser, Seratti, Sinicki, Turner and Ziegelbauer, by request of Beloit Public Safety and Crime Prevention Council. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Consumer Affairs.

SB183,1,2 An Act to create 940.20 (8) of the statutes; relating to: battery to a member of a citizen crime prevention organization and providing a penalty.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, a person who intentionally causes bodily harm to another without the other person's consent commits the crime of ordinary battery. A person convicted of ordinary battery may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than nine months or both. Current law also provides higher penalties for committing battery to certain persons, such as a law enforcement officer, fire fighter, witness, juror or probation, parole or extended supervision agent.

This bill creates a new crime of battery for intentionally causing bodily harm to a member of a citizen crime prevention organization without the victim's consent. To be convicted of this new crime of battery, the person must have known or had reason to know at the time of the battery that the victim was a member of a citizen crime prevention organization. Also, the battery must have been committed in response to an action taken by the victim as a member of the citizen crime prevention organization or the victim had to be acting as a member of the citizen crime prevention organization at the time of the battery.

A person who is convicted of the crime of battery created by the bill may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than five years or both, if the offense occurs before December 31, 1999, or may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than ten years or both, if the offense occurs on or after December 31, 1999.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB183, s. 1 Section 1. 940.20 (8) of the statutes is created to read:

SB183,2,12 940.20 (8) Battery to member of a citizen crime prevention organization. (a) In this subsection, "citizen crime prevention organization" means an organization that is authorized or recognized by or affiliated with a law enforcement agency and that is made up of citizens from a community or neighborhood who, on a volunteer basis, report suspected crimes in the community or neighborhood, provide information about crimes in the community or neighborhood or otherwise assist law enforcement officers in preventing and detecting crime in the community or neighborhood. "Citizen crime prevention organization" includes a neighborhood watch program authorized under s. 60.23 (17m) or by the law enforcement agency of a city or village, a Crime Stoppers organization, a police reserve program and a Citizens on Patrol program.

SB183,2,20 (b) Whoever intentionally causes bodily harm to a member of a citizen crime prevention organization by an act done without the consent of the person harmed is guilty of a Class D felony if the actor knows or has reason to know at the time of the act that the person harmed is a member of a citizen crime prevention organization and either the act is in response to an action taken by the victim in his or her capacity as a member of the citizen crime prevention organization or the person harmed is acting in his or her capacity as a member of the citizen crime prevention organization at the time of the act.

SB183, s. 2 Section 2. Initial applicability.

SB183,3,2 (1) This act first applies to offenses committed on the effective date of this subsection.

SB183,3,3 (End)