Rob Bell on Texting While Driving and Other Topics

Actually, the title for this e-mail could be "Rob Bell Wants to Be Virginia's Next Attorney General." Here's the e-mail, enhanced with updated links because funny things happened when the links were pasted in here:

As you may know, I am a former prosecutor and currently serve as the chairman of Virginia State Crime Commission. (http://vscc.virginia.gov/studies.asp)  We are currently looking at the following issues:

Texting While Driving

In a recent case in Fairfax, a judge ruled that a driver who caused a fatal accident while texting could not be charged with reckless driving. Under reckless driving, the driver could have been punished with restriction / loss of license, probation, or even jail. We are looking at ways to clarify the law to ensure that these penalties are available for very serious traffic accidents caused by drivers who text.

Financial Abuse of Seniors

It is of course illegal to commit fraud on anyone, but some criminals are specifically targeting seniors for financial abuse. These offenders can be contractors, financial advisers, or even family members. I asked the Crime Commission to review ways to provide additional protections for those who may be especially vulnerable to scams. You can read an article describing the problem here: http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/elder-abuse-issues-before-crime-commission-closely-tied-to-henrico/article_12b86f04-cb23-5f4c-a7ed-3f7803aeedf9.html

Cigarette Trafficking

As cigarettes have become more expensive, we are seeing more crimes related to their sales. The Commission heard testimony about traffickers who illegally transport Virginia cigarettes to other states, those who counterfeit Virginia tax stickers, and even those who counterfeit the cigarettes themselves -- disguising cheaper cigarettes as Marlboros, for example. Organized crime has found trafficking cigarettes can be as lucrative as trafficking in illegal narcotics, and this predictably has brought violence and other problems. You can read the news article here. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/09/virginia-crime-panel-examining-cigarette-trafficking

A full list of the all the Commission's studies can be found here.

We welcome your feedback on any of these issues. You can e-mail me by replying to this e-mail, or you can e-mail the commission itself at vsccinfo@vscc.virginia.gov.

We will be taking votes on various options on Wednesday, December 5. Those that pass will become our recommendations to the General Assembly.

Thank you for your interest in public safety in Virginia, and best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Rob Bell

Delegate, 58th District

 

Attention bill readers and General Assembly watchers! Some bills we were watching last winter will be up for reconsideration this winter, and these links will be relevant to the discussion.