Adrian NorthrupDemocratic attorney general candidate Kathleen Falk spoke of her plans to crack down on identity theft and civil rights Thursday on a visit to the UW-Eau Claire campus.
U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Rod Nilsestuen, secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, accompanied Falk, who addressed a group of close to 100 people in the Eagle Room of Davies Center.
“I want to take Wisconsin to another level of consumer protection (by) identifying patterns of consumer abuse,” Falk said. “You’re the ones who the bad guys target.”
As part of her campaign platform, Falk proposed creating a statewide registry Web site, similar to the state’s sex offenders registry that would document individuals convicted of identity theft. She also advocated tougher penalties for related crimes as well as more investigative and enforcement tools to catch those who break the law.
Falk emphasized her 14-year experience as assistant attorney general as well as her 10 years as a county executive, which is something, she said, that better allows her to enforce the law and run the state’s Department of Justice.
J.B. Van Hollen, Falk’s Republican opponent, said that while the attorney general’s office “should vigorously pursue any violation of Wisconsin’s consumer protection laws,” it cannot ignore a growing number of cases piling up at the state’s crime labs.
