The prosecutors’ joint statement said making looting a more serious crime would “send a strong signal to opportunistic thieves that these crimes will not be tolerated and that justice will be swift and decisive.”

Under California law, looting is a misdemeanor punishable by six months in prison. The prosecution’s statement said it was a “difficulty” of sentencing, meaning it could be convicted as a criminal offense in certain circumstances.

They want two to four year prison sentences.

Under the duo’s proposal, a conviction for looting would count as a strike under California’s three-strikes law, which increases the penalty for anyone convicted of a third eligible crime.

Part of the proposal would make searching through the rubble of a stranger’s burned home a crime, their statement said. It would also eliminate looting as a diversionary tactic, allowing some defendants to avoid convictions on their records if they behave well outside of prison.

Hochman said in his statement that “opportunistic burglars and looters who target fire victims in times of crisis are not only violating the law, but are compounding the suffering of those already suffering unimaginable losses.” These criminals deserve the harshest punishments.”

Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for Spitzer, the Orange County district attorney, said the district attorney’s office doesn’t yet have a state legislator who could introduce a bill in Sacramento, but felt the situation was urgent enough to introduce the idea today.