Police Team Keeps Parolees, Probationers in Check

CLARIFICATION 10:30 a.m. March 23: In response to this article, Dana Toyama, a spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, sent this statement to Murrieta Patch:

"To be clear, no one is 'released early into the community.' Starting Oct. 1, 2011, people whose current commitment offense is for a non-serious, non-violent, non sex-offense report to county probation departments upon their scheduled release date; all others continue to report to State Parole. These are all individuals who would have been released with or without Realignment and would have returned to the community anyway, the only difference is which agency is conducting post-release supervision.

"CDCR expects to meet the federally-mandated state inmate population reduction through attrition as newly convicted low-level offenders, who would previously have been sent to state prison, now remain in county jail to serve their sentence. Realignment was implemented to help avoid the early release of inmates."

Patch apologizes for any misrepresentation of the facts in this matter.

ORIGINAL POST:

Police in Murrieta have taken a proactive approach to keeping tabs on inmates being released early into the community.

Shortly after the , the formed its first-ever Parole/Probation Compliance Team, said Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad, in a news release Thursday.

"The implementation of AB 109 meant the early release of inmates from California state prisons into our local county jails and ultimately, into our community," the lieutenant said.

Non-serious offenders including convicted DUI drivers, drug users, child abusers and identity thieves released from prison are now supervised by county probation agents, instead of parole officers with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as was traditionally the case.

Gov. Jerry Brown and other lawmakers implemented AB 109 in response to a federal court decree that California reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates over the next two years because of overcrowding.

To combat the effects of the bill, the Murrieta Police Department's two-person Parole/Probation Compliance Team came up with a game plan. They focus on any parolees or probationers living in Murrieta, as well as keep up with newly-released AB 109 parolees, Conrad said.

The officers, who work in full uniform and drive a marked car, conduct random compliance checks on parolees and probationers and work proactively to arrest those who have fallen out of compliance with their terms, Conrad said.

"The team also handles radio calls that have a nexus to parolees and probationers, and conducts follow-up investigation on crimes that are associated with parolees and probationers," Conrad said. 

He said the two officers selected to the team have extensive backgrounds working gangs and narcotics. They came to the Murrieta Police Department from the Los Angeles and San Diego police departments with more than 30 years combined experience, he said

The team works closely with the Riverside County Probation Department, as well as the Riverside County Sheriff's Department southwest area AB 109 team out of Perris, Conrad said.

Conrad shared statistical data that has been kept since the team's inception. In approximately four months time, the officers are credited with 38 felony arrests, 10 misdemeanor arrests, 178 parole searches, 18 probation searches, 37 field interviews, 50 pedestrian checks, 188 traffic stops, 117 radio call assists and 33 detective assists, he said.

"As a result of the above activities, the team has recovered substantial amounts of controlled substances including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana," Conrad said. "The team has also recovered three firearms."

"Based on the success of the program and the effect it is clearly having on the quality of life for Murrieta’s residents, the program is continuing."