Bill Would Make Home Invasion A More Serious Crime

A bill introduced this week by state senator Ben Brooks puts tougher penalties on home invaders.

“If you kick in the door with a certain state of intent you get a minimum of ten years--it's a very stiff penalty and it's a crime tailored to the specific act of home invasion you don't have to try and fit it into another category,” says Brooks.  Right now, home invasion suspects can only be charged with burglary or robbery--home invasion is not a specific crime on its own.  The Alabama Home Invasion Act would make it a class a felony whenever someone gets into an occupied home with the intent to rob or harm someone.  It's modeled after the Pharmacy Robbery Act--which made robbing drugstores a class "A" felony in 1982.  The way Alabama's laws are set up now, if someone tries to rob this pharmacy, they could face a stiffer penalty than if they tried to rob someone in their own home, local officials say the point of this home invasion bill is to make both the penalties for both are equally as strict. 

“We believe if it's against the law to go into a pharmacy it should equally be against the law to go into a house to rob them,” says Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran.  Mobile's sheriff is pushing for this bill.  He says your home should be a safe place

“We want there to be a strong deterrent to anyone thinking they're going to go into someone's house and rob them,” says Cochran.