May 22, 2012
CalFire crews have training in preparation
A unit purchased with a Department of Homeland Security grant about four months ago will be stationed with the Shasta-Trinity Unit in the Redding area, Capt. Kyle Johnson said.
"We're pretty excited about it," Johnson said. "The guts are the same (as the vehicle being replaced), but it's a little different so we're trying to get as many people oriented to it as possible."
The engine in the command center, which is the sixth one to be put into service state-wide, is the same as those on the newer engines, which will make things easier for the mechanics, Johnson said...
LINK - RedBluffDailyNEws.com
May 22, 2012
Gov appoints wardens at Mule Creek, CMF, Wasco, others
APPOINTMENTS
By Governor. Contact: 916 445 4571.
Senate confirmation not required.
As chief of the contract beds unit, CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: Dalinda Harman, 48, Sacramento, Democrat, chief community correctional facilities administrator, CDCR. Salary: $130,668.
To Council on Mentally Ill Offenders: Manuel Jimenez, 54, Turlock, Democrat, mental health director, Merced County. No compensation.
As warden, Wasco State Prison: John Katavich, 48, Bakersfield, Democrat, acting in the role since 2011. Salary: $130,668.
As warden, Mule Creek State Prison: William Knipp, 49, Gold River, Republican, acting in the role since 2011. Salary: $130,688.
As warden, California Medical Facility: Vimal Singh, 46, Elk Grove, Democrat, acting in the role since 2011. Salary: $130,688.
May 22, 2012
Symptoms of system in shambles - AB 109 Editorial
There was a lot of skepticism last year when Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 109 into law. As it turns out, it looks like the skeptics had it right.
AB 109 triggered the governor’s realignment strategy, which involves shifting low-level offenders from the state prison system to county jails throughout California.
At first glance, the plan seems to have the advantage of simplicity — the U.S. Supreme Court leans on the state to improve its process of crime and punishment, so inmates get shuttled off to local jails...
LINK - LompocRecord.com
May 22, 2012
Sex offender who removed ankle bracelet caught
A registered sex offender accused of cutting off his electronic ankle bracelet has been found, and is back in custody.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Deputies say Albert Lee Allen was arrested for no bail parole violation. Investigators say, an off-duty officer spotted Allen walking his dog and recognized him last Friday in Buellton. Deputies say they were able to arrest him shortly after he was spotted...
LINK - KSBY.com
May 22, 2012
Sex offender confesses to masturbating in laundry mat
Police arrested a high-risk sex offender Saturday night after a woman reported she saw him masturbating at a local laundry mat.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Robert Castaneda, was booked into the custody of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department on suspicion of indecent exposure.
The Porterville Police Department reports that at approximately 9:10 p.m., officers responded to the laundry mat in the sub-100 block of North D Street where the woman reported that an Hispanic man entered the business and was acting strange. She said a that a short time later, she saw the man masturbating in the corner of the building, the PPD reports. When she told him she was calling the police, he fled from the business on foot...
LINK - RecorderOnline.com
May 21, 2012
After 70 mph chase former inmate hits, runs, arrested with meth matter
On May 20 at approximately 4:22 pm a Woodland police officer was on routine patrol in the area of Matmor Road and East Main Street, when he saw the driver of a 1995 Jeep Cherokee pass him southbound on Matmor Road. The officer followed the Jeep and attempted to make a traffic enforcement stop for a seat belt violation on the driver.
After the officer initiated his emergency lights, the driver of the Jeep Cherokee accelerated southbound on Matmor Road and failed to yield to the officer. The driver of the Jeep drove through the posted stop sign at Matmor Road and East Gum Avenue and continued to accelerate as he neared the intersection of Gibson Road...
LINK - WoodlandRecord.com
May 21, 2012
City CCFs plan on re-opening?
Several community correctional facilities in Kern County will remain empty for at least a little while longer, but the cities are preparing for the inmates that may once again fill their buildings.
The facilities in Shafter, Taft and Delano have been without inmates since the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ended its contracts with them last year when offenders were returned to counties under realignment. Since then, hopes for refilling the correctional buildings have hinged on securing contracts with counties to shelter their inmates...
LINK - BakersfieldCalifornian.com
May 21, 2012
Suspected Hemet Burglar Crashes Into Sheriff’s Deputy, Tries to Run
A man who police say crashed into a Hemet sheriff's deputy while trying to flee the scene of a crime in a stolen car was locked up without bail in the Banning jail Monday.
James Anton Condon, 35, was arrested Sunday and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional facility on several felony charges of burglary, car theft, and violating state parole, according to jail records.
Sheriff's Sergeant John Morin says Condon was spotted Sunday leaving the scene of a reported burglary in Valle Vista, off Florida Ave. and the Ramona Expressway, and a deputy tried to pull him over...
LINK - Banning-Beaumont.Patch.com
May 21, 2012
Gov. Corbett adds pension reform to budget agenda
It's an iceberg on the horizon. A vicious Pac-Man chomping larger and larger chunks out of the state's upcoming spending plans. A massive gorilla lurking the hallways of the Pennsylvania Capitol.
The commonwealth's pension liability for public employees is about to make state budgeting even more of a nightmare, and Republican Gov. Tom Corbett has put pension reform next on his to-do list...
LINK - Post-Gazette.com
May 21, 2012
Corrections officer killed, 19 injured in prison riot
The Adams County sheriff said gang activity caused a riot that killed a guard and injured 19 people at a privately-run prison that holds illegal immigrants.
Authorities say a guard was killed and, at one point, hostages were taken during a riot at a Mississippi prison that holds illegal immigrants.
More Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said Monday the slain guard was beaten to death by inmates on the roof of one of the buildings Sunday...
LINK - WAPT.com
May 21, 2012
1 dead, 19 hurt in riot at privately run illegal immigration prison in Mississippi
A privately run prison in Mississippi for illegal immigrants remained on lockdown Monday after a riot that began a day earlier left one guard dead and at least 19 people injured, officials said.
All of the roughly 2,500 inmates were secured in their housing units at the Adams County Correctional Facility by 2:45 a.m., nearly 12 hours after the riot began, Mike Machak, a spokesman for the company that owns the facility, said in a statement.
The prison remained on lockdown, and officials were assessing damage at the southwest Mississippi prison owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corp. of America, the statement said...
LINK - NYDailyNews.com
May 21, 2012
Inmates Riot in Privately Run Prison; One Guard Killed
Inmates seized control of a privately owned prison in Mississippi on Sunday after riots broke out, and a guard was killed in the chaos in the low security facility, authorities said.
Adams County Coroner James Lee said the 23-year-old guard died of blunt trauma to the head during the riot at the Adams County Correctional Center, a privately owned prison that houses mostly illegal immigrants for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
"This is an ongoing riot that still has not been rectified because the prisoners are in still in charge of the prison," Lee said, speaking at around 9:00 p.m. local time....
LINK - CNBC.com
May 20, 2012
Lodi parolee sweep a success, officials say
One-hundred forty home visits. Eighteen arrests. Safer streets as the summer months approach.
Lodi's multiagency parolee sweep Friday was a success by almost any standard. "We found a lot of parole violations, which was a good indication that our suspicions were correct," said Cpl. Dale Eubanks, a police department spokesman...
LINK - RecordNet.com
May 20, 2012
Another AB 109 parolee carjacks woman
A 32-year-old Redding woman had her car stolen during a carjacking on Westside Road in Redding at about 3:30 p.m. today, according to the Redding police.
The woman told police that she parked her car at the Valley Supply Hardware at 4490 Westside Road when a man took her green Chevy Blazer at knifepoint.
Police were unable to locate the vehicle in the area, and other law enforcement agencies were notified, police said...
LINK - Redding.com
May 19, 2012
Parolee leads Cathedral City police on car chase
A parolee released from county jail on Wednesday led Cathedral City police on a chase driving a stolen vehicle today, a police spokesman said.
At about 10:30 a.m., officers were alerted to a stolen vehicle in progress in the area of Commercial Road and Sunair Drive in Cathedral City, said police Sgt. Corwin de Veas.
Officers spotted the stolen vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, running a red light while turning southbound from Cathedral Canyon Drive onto East Palm Canyon Drive...
LINK - SWRNN.com
May 18, 2012
Why is the Federal Receiver for prison medical care $300 million over budget?
According to figures from the Legislative Analyst's Office, the Federal Receiver in charge of California's prison medical care is running $295.4 million over-budget in the current fiscal year.
The receivership — essentially an outside individual hired by the federal court to bring the state into compliance with the Constitution--has been in place since 2005. Receiver Clark Kelso, in the job since 2008, is tasked with updating and improving the prison system's medical care. His annual budget runs at about $1.5 billion — meaning he's currently about 20 percent over.
California Correctional Health Care Services Spokeswoman Nancy Kincaid says that it's not so much that the department is over-budget, as that it was under-funded to begin with. "We've never been funded to the level we've needed to be," she says. Kincaid says the department has prioritized keeping care costs down, while trying to bring a massive system into compliance with court orders...
LINK - SCPR.org
May 18, 2012
Long Beach Police, D.A. investigating officer-involved shooting
Long Beach Police Department Homicide detectives and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office have launched an investigation into an officer-involved shooting of a parolee and suspected gang-member who allegedly pulled a gun on a patrolman, police said Friday morning.
The incident occurred at about 11:55 p.m. in North Long Beach, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The officer was patrolling the area of Atlantic Avenue and East 51st Street when he spotted a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed, Pratt said...
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
May 18, 2012
POLICE SEEKING PAROLEE AFFILIATED WITH GANGS
Patrick Alex Newborn, 24
Wanted: Newborn is a documented gang member wanted for violating parole. He has a criminal history that includes felony domestic violence and firearms- and narcotic-related charges.
Description: Black, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 155 pounds, black hair, brown eyes.
Frequented areas: He is known to frequent El Cajon and the Mid-City area of San Diego...
LINK - UTSanDiego.com
May 18, 2012
Police chase comes to screeching end in Linda Vista
A police chase through Linda Vista ends in a neighborhood with two men in handcuffs Thursday night.
San Diego police say their gang unit recognized the driver as a gang member and parolee at large. His name is Ying Yang.
Officers tried pulling Yang over, but instead he led officers on a high speed pursuit through Linda Vista...
LINK - 760kfmb.com
May 18, 2012
Parolee arrested in Fresno after brief standoff
A wanted parolee was taken into custody after a standoff Sunday afternoon in northwest Fresno, police said. The 36-year-old man was seen by officers in the 4900 block of North Holt Avenue in front of his mother's apartment. When he saw the officers, he ran into the home.
About an hour later, he was found by a police dog hiding in a closet.
He was arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail...
LINK - FresnoBee.com
May 18, 2012
State Loses Contact with Sex Offender Near Buellton
State Parole officials are searching for a sex offender that they have lost contact with, earlier in the week.
Officials say Albert Lee Allen was last detected near Buellton on Wednesday.
According to the California Department of Corrections, an alert came through around 2:50 p.m. that Allen's monitoring device had been cut.
Agents an hour later recovered the cut bracelet...
LINK - KCOY.com
May 18, 2012
CCPOA Weekly Update - May 18, 2012
CCPOA invites its members to view this weekly feature on our new Membership website.
Don't have access? Email membersonly@ccpoa.org and submit your first and last name, institution, and last 4 digits of your social security number to have an account created.
Verification is not an automated process and will take 24 hours to complete. Once verified, the member will receive an email granting access.
Archived CCPOA Weekly Updates and all new postings will be permanently moved to the Membership website shortly, so make sure you contact our staff for registration ASAP!
May 18, 2012
LAO says CA Budget in excess of $17 Billion
California's budget deficit is likely worse than Gov. Jerry Brown's estimate of $15.7 billion, the state's top fiscal analyst indicated Friday.
Brown proposed a $91.4 billion general fund budget Monday that slashes health and welfare programs, courts and state worker pay. His proposal also relies on voters temporarily raising taxes on sales and wealthy earners to help cover this year's budget gap and deficits in future years.
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office said Friday that Brown's revenue forecast is "reasonable," though the Analyst's own projection is still $550 million below the governor's through June 2013. On top of that, the LAO warned that Brown's estimate of money available from former redevelopment programs could be overstated by $900 million...
LINK - SacBee.com
and
View the May Revise Report from the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) HERE
May 17, 2012
2012 CCPOA Endorsement List
CCPOA's endorsement list of 2012 candidates by district. Districts highlighted in green represent districts that contain at least one CDCR institution.
May 17, 2012
2012 Intent to Run – Benefit Trust Fund
The 2012 Intent to Run form is now available for this year’s Executive Council Positions. The form must be returned to the CCPOA offices by July 11, 2012. Please see the form below for details. EC Intent to Run Form 2012...
May 17, 2012
2012 CCPOA Convention - New Information
Please view the flyer below for more information on the 2012 CCPOA Convention in Reno, Nevada...
May 17, 2012
New acting warden at VSPW
The California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation announced Tuesday that Ron Davis has been appointed the acting warden of Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla.
The CDCR says prior to this assignment, Davis worked as the chief deputy warden at Avenal State Prison in Kings County. He began his career as a correctional officer in Salinas in 1994...
LINK - KMPH.com
May 17, 2012
SC Senate approves pension reform plan
The South Carolina Senate on Wednesday approved a pension reform plan that puts most of the changes on new employees.
Sen. Greg Ryberg said the bill shores up the state retirement system, ensuring workers receive checks decades from now, in a way that honors promises to current employees, thereby avoiding a lawsuit. Advocates for public workers have praised the Senate's plan.
"I feel confident from a legal standpoint, we're on firm ground," said Ryberg, R-Aiken, who led a panel that put together the plan...
LINK - CBSNews.com
May 16, 2012
Gov. Jerry Brown backtracks on plan to phase out the state’s youth prison system
Responding to pressure from probation chiefs, district attorneys and prison guards, Gov. Jerry Brown has done an about-face on a revolutionary plan to shutter California's youth prison system that was once the nation's largest -- and arguably the most notorious.
Just four months ago, a small section buried in the governor's belt-tightening budget caused a massive stir in the juvenile justice world. With annual costs per inmate at about $200,000 and its population down 90 percent from peak years, the youth prison system should stop accepting serious and violent youthful offenders beginning next year, the Brown administration concluded...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
May 16, 2012
Prison construction plan costly, unnecessary, analyst says
The Legislative Analyst's Office issued a report on Wednesday criticizing the Brown administration's plan to overhaul California's prison system.
The plan, announced last month, is intended to save billions of dollars by closing a prison, shifting staff members and returning inmates housed out of state. The administration also wants to renovate and add to existing facilities.
Although the Legislative Analyst's Office said the plan "merits consideration," it said the state will end up facing high costs despite decreasing prison capacity...
LINK - LATimes.com
May 14, 2012
NBC Nightly News: Gov. Jerry Brown Proposes $8.3 Billion in Cuts
Video follows 30-second NBC advertisement spot. NBC report play time - 2:44.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
May 14, 2012
Private-prison supervisors say CCA denied overtime
A group of shift supervisors at a private prison in central Kentucky has sued Corrections Corporation of America, alleging the company forced them to work extra hours and denied them overtime.
The six current and former CCA employees at the Marion Adjustment Center in St. Mary's who filed suit also said the Nashville, Tenn.-based private prison giant denied them meal and rest breaks, and required employees to attend training sessions without pay.
Attorney Tom Miller of Lexington told The Associated Press that the lawsuit may also affect employees of two other CCA prisons in Kentucky — the Lee Adjustment Center in Beattyville and Otter Creek Correctional Center in Wheelwright...
LINK - TheTownTalk.com
May 14, 2012
NCCD Launches New Website Featuring Latest Report on Private Prisons
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) is proud to launch today its new website, www.nccdglobal.org, which features the new report "Prison Bed Profiteers: How Corporations Are Reshaping Criminal Justice in the U.S." The report details how private prison corporations are derailing public safety and long-term, sustainable criminal justice reform.
NCCD President Alex Busansky sees NCCD's new website as a key way for audiences to understand the breadth of NCCD's vision and action toward social justice. "For 107 years NCCD has advocated for fair and equitable justice systems through research, and our new report is part of that proud tradition. Our new website also makes it easier for constituents to learn about and access NCCD's expertise and publications in child welfare, juvenile justice, criminal justice, analytics, education, adult protection, and more...
LINK - SacBee.com
May 9, 2012
Jerry Brown tells unions to brace for California state worker pay cuts
Brown administration officials met with the state employee union leaders last week, according to sources familiar with the meetings, to warn them that the next version of the governor's budget will include an unspecified cut in employee costs up to 10 percent.
The administration in January estimated that California is confronting a $9.2 billion deficit through 2012-13, but a recent state analysis concluded the actual gap is considerably more.
The sources, who declined to talk on the record because the administration asked all involved to keep the discussions secret, said Brown told the unions he was seeking $750 million in state employee cost savings for fiscal 2012-13..
LINK - SacBee.com
May 8, 2012
Armed Parolee Arrested in Walnut Creek
On 5/8/12 at 12:07 am, Walnut Creek Police Officers contacted four suspicious persons in a parking lot near Vice Ultra Lounge. Upon contact one subject (later identified as Pittsburg resident Terrance Hornbeck) ran from the officers and discarded a loaded firearm. Officers caught Hornbeck who began to fight with them. Officers used a taser to stop Hornbeck and he was taken into custody. The firearm, with an illegal high capacity magazine, was recovered.
Another subject (later identified as Hercules resident David Gideon) was arrested for an outstanding warrant for a weapons violation...
LINK - SFGate.com
May 8, 2012
Wanted parolee arrested on drug charges
Responding to a tip, Kings County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a wanted parolee Friday after he was found to be in possession of salable amounts of methamphetamine.
Brandon Kaiserman, 32, was arrested Friday at a home in the 10000 block of Jensen Street in Armona after deputies searched a home and discovered him sleeping on the living room floor and took him into custody without incident. Kaiserman was booked into Kings County Jail on the parole hold and charged with selling illegal narcotics...
LINK - HanfordSentinel.com
May 8, 2012
Fresno police: Parolee tosses gun while fleeing officers
Police recovered a stolen 9mm Glock handgun from the roof of a carport in east-central Fresno Monday night after catching up with a parolee who tossed the weapon while running from officers, authorities said.
The chase began about 8 p.m. when officers saw two men loitering in a parking lot and turned around to check on them, police Sgt. James Fowler said. Both men began to run and one of them threw something as he took flight. A witness directed officers to the carport, where the weapon was recovered...
LINK - FresnoBee.com
May 8, 2012
Parolee Accused of Attempted Sexual Assault of Teen Girl
Sheriff's deputies arrested a man Friday they say broke into a home in April and tried to sexually assault a teenage girl.
Deputies responded about 3:55 a.m. on April 28 to a report of the alleged attempted attack at a home in the 1800 block of Estero Court in San Jacinto. The 16-year-old victim told deputies that a man broke into the home and tried to sexually assault her, according to a news release issued by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
The girl resisted the man and he fled. She told deputies she recognized him as a handyman named "Juan" who had worked at her home in the past...
LINK - KTLA.com
May 8, 2012
Parolee leads Pismo Beach police on high speed chase
Pismo Beach police arrested a Fresno parolee after he led them on a high-speed chase on U.S. Highway 101 on Monday morning.
The pursuit began when police responding to a report of a stolen vehicle spotted Shane Calhoun, 23, driving the car northbound on Price Street. When officers attempted to pull Calhoun over, he sped onto northbound U.S. Highway 101, at times reaching speeds of more than 120 mph...
LINK - CalCoastNews.com
May 8, 2012
Matt Cate talks about relignment (audio on link)
Thirty years ago, the state spent three percent of its general fund dollars on corrections and prisons. Today it spends more than 11 percent – that’s $10 billion running the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
In 2011, when Governor Brown took office, he inherited a massive corrections problem. The state's 33 prisons were at nearly 200 percent capacity, and the recidivism rate was running at 70 percent. The federal courts stepped in and ordered California to reduce its overcrowded prisons by more than 30,000 people...
LINK - KALW.org
May 8, 2012
California officials ask judge to end prison medical oversight in a month
California officials want a federal judge to end oversight of prison medical care in 30 days. That’s the thrust of documents filed late Monday in the court of a federal judge who seized control of state prison healthcare nearly a decade ago because one inmate a week was dying of shoddy care.
In a 43-page plan to end federal oversight, Corrections attorneys argued that healthcare is “wholly transformed,” that inmates get good care, from good doctors, in good clinics and that California’s got the “will, capacity, and leadership” to keep it up. They’ve asked U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson to relinquish control in 30 days...
LINK - SCPR.org
May 7, 2012
ESCONDIDO: Police search neighborhood looking for parolee
Police searched a northern Escondido neighborhood Saturday night looking for a parolee but did not find him, a police spokesman said.
Police stopped Michael Acosta about 9:40 p.m. in the area of Valley Parkway and Beven Drive, Lt. Mike Loarie said. Acosta was wanted on a parole violation and took off running...
LINK - NCTimes.com
May 7, 2012
Parolee arrested following Desert Hot Springs hotel break-in
A parolee was arrested Saturday night after police say he broke into a hotel room and attempted to rob the occupants.
Joseph Montanez, 33, of Desert Hot Springs, forced open the room door of a resort hotel in the 68-100 block of Club Circle at about 10:45 p.m., waking the couple inside, Desert Hot Springs police Sgt. Gabriela Mendoza said.
Montanez demanded money from the couple and when they refused and tried to fight him off, he grabbed a wallet and cell phone and ran, Mendoza said....
LINK - MyDesert.com
May 7, 2012
Parole suspected in Desert Hot Springs home invasion robbery arrested
A 33-year-old parolee was arrested Saturday night on suspicion of a home invasion robbery.
Desert Hot Springs police were called to a home invasion robbery on the 68100 block of Club Circle around 10:45 p.m. According to Desert Hot Springs police officers, a man later identified as Joseph Montanez, forced open a room door while victims slept.
Montanez allegedly demanded money from victims, who refused and tried to fight him off. The Desert Hot Springs man then quickly grabbed a wallet and a cell phone...
LINK - KESQ.com
May 7, 2012
Berryhill: Build More Prisons
Republican Senator Tom Berryhill criticized the state's AB 109 prisoner realignment program.
On this past weekend's Mother Lode View, Berryhill slammed the program, which has resulted in many felons being monitored by local probation departments, rather than going to prison. Governor Jerry Brown pushed for the new plan after a three Judge panel mandated that California reduce its prison population by over 30,000 inmates. Berryhill said he would have preferred the state to "build more prisons and hire more guards." Berryhill added, "If they get caught (criminals), they immediately get released, and they know that there are no consequences."
On the issue of water, Berryhill stated that lawmakers are planning to delay a vote on the $11 billion bond issue until 2014. It is currently slated to go on the November ballot, but early polling shows that it has little chance of passing in the current economic climate. Berryhill remains in support of the legislation, which was authored in 2009 by then Mother Lode Senator Dave Cogdill...
LINK - MyMotherLode.com
May 7, 2012
State, advocates disagree on future of prison healthcare
Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is sharply at odds with inmate advocates and a federal receiver over the future of the prison medical system, a new court filing showed Monday.
The document was submitted after the federal judge overseeing the case asked each side to present its proposals for how to end six years of federal control of inmate healthcare...
LINK - LATimes.com
May 4, 2012
NV high court sides with union, delays coroner’s inquest
LAS VEGAS (KSNV MyNews3) – An emergency appeal with the Nevada Supreme Court to delay Thursday’s coroner’s inquest process has been granted.
A three-judge panel ruled that the inquest involving Eduardo Lopez-Hernandez is stayed until at least May 11.
The police union said it believes new inquest guidelines and parameters are unconstitutional because an ombudsman is provided to the deceased's family. The union says this makes the process adversarial...
LINK - MyNews3.com
May 4, 2012
Firefighter’s Statements Critical Of City Council Potentially Protected Speech
Ron Westmoreland is a firefighter for the City of Bay Village, Ohio. The Fire Department has roughly 24 firefighters. Budget concerns in the spring of 2008 led to the adoption of changes that substantially reduced overtime for firefighters.
In addition, the Fire Chief recommended that the dive team be eliminated, a recommendation approved by the City Council. The Chief stated that the dive team had been used an average of less than once per year, had never actually rescued anyone, and had cost between $10,000 and $12,000 in overtime annually. Also, he determined that between 1999 and 2007, the City had purchased a total of more than $26,000 in diving gear and equipment from Westmoreland’s for-profit dive business...
LINK - LRIS.com
May 4, 2012
Troopers’ union opposes red light cameras bill
HARTFORD, Conn. - The president of the Connecticut State Police Union is speaking out against legislation that would allow cities and towns to place traffic cameras at busy intersections and record drivers who run red lights.
Sgt. Andrew Matthews told The Hartford Courant on Wednesday that the bill's goal appears to be increasing revenue for cities and towns through traffic fines. He said troopers believe that police officers using discretion is a key element in public safety, and that replacing law enforcement with cameras is troublesome...
LINK - NorwichBulletin.com
May 4, 2012
Camden moves to halt referendum on takeover of city police
A campaign to let Camden residents decide the fate of a controversial takeover of the city’s police department by Camden County hit a roadblock Wednesday when the city filed an injunction seeking to block the referendum.
In a complaint filed in Superior Court, Camden attorneys argued that the decision whether to implement the plan is not up to voters and is within the sole authority of city and state officials.
The action comes three weeks after police-union officials and community activists submitted a petition with 2,800 signatures calling for an ordinance to block the police takeover, arguing it was a union-busting maneuver that would make the city unsafe by replacing veteran police with younger, inexperienced officers. Under state law, City Council — which was scheduled to meet on the matter next week — has to vote down the ordinance or put the matter to voters...
LINK - Philly.com
May 4, 2012
CA inmate sues Oklahoma private prison over riot
An October riot at a private prison in Sayre that left dozens of inmates injured has yielded a 2,700-page report and could lead to several new felony cases being filed in Beckham County.
Mike Machak, a spokesman for the private North Fork Correctional Facility in Sayre, said 19 inmates involved in the Oct. 11 riot could face “attempted murder” charges, although such a crime doesn't exist in Oklahoma.
The riot, which is still somewhat shrouded in mystery, left 46 prisoners injured...
LINK - NewsOK.com
May 3, 2012
Senate panel advances pension reform plan
South Carolina's current public employees would see fewer changes in their pension benefits under a Senate panel's plan than the House proposed.
A Senate subcommittee voted unanimously Thursday on its proposal for state retirement system fixes...
LINK - MidlandsConnect.com
May 3, 2012
Corrections’ master plan falls short
The Department of Corrections’ recently released ten-year master plan “The Future of California Corrections” does not manage to escape the massive gravitational pull of 30 years of failed prison policy and in the end fails to offer a vision of a better future for California.
The CDCR has been going through an extended identity crisis since 2005 when then-Secretary Rod Hickman declared Delano II to be the last prison that California would build, announcing an end to a 25 year run of runaway prison construction. Widespread opposition to that prison, the persistent budget crisis and consistent polling results that showed Californians opposed to spending more on prisons left CDCR looking for a new mission...
LINK - CapitolWeekly.net
May 3, 2012
Correcting problems in prisons
There was a time, not so long ago, when the California prison system seemed headed inevitably for a complete meltdown.
There were about 140,000 inmates in facilities designed to handle about 80,000. Sick prisoners weren’t getting the treatment they needed, and the in-prison death rate soared. The Department of Corrections was spending billions warehousing criminals, many of whom, after serving their time and being released, quickly broke the law again and were shuttled back inside.
It got so bad that federal agencies began to intervene. The courts ordered state prison medical care to be overseen by someone outside the prison hierarchy. Then, a year ago this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the California prison inmate population to be significantly reduced — or else...
LINK - LompocRecord.com
May 2, 2012
Parolee barricades himself in Long Beach home
A 23-year-old parolee suspected of assaulting a family member barricaded himself in a residence in Long Beach and was taken into custody after a SWAT standoff, police said today.
Deandre Palmer allegedly struck a family member over the head with a blunt object around noon Tuesday in the 3000 block of Gale Avenue, said Long Beach police Lt. Paul LeBaron.
"The investigation led to the 1200 block of Maddox Street where we identified a residence where we believed the suspect was hiding inside," LeBaron said...
LINK - PressTelegram.com
May 2, 2012
Wanted Parolee in Custody After Officer Involved Shooting in Merced
At about 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning near Pinacle and R street, two deputies came across a wanted parolee. As deputies approached him, the suspect tried to run them over with his car. Deputies then shot at the suspect, which led to a short pursuit. The suspect crashed his car into an apartment complex at R and Buena Vista, then took off running into a residential area, where he then hid in an occupied home.
Merced County Sheriff's Deputy Tom McKenzie said, "The resident actually came out of the building, told law enforcement the suspect was inside. At the same time, the suspect was in the rear of the building. He actually ran into two Merced detectives, who took him into custody."
He suspect was taken to a nearby hospital with gunshot wounds. Several nearby schools were on lockdown during the incident. No one, other than the suspect, were hurt...
LINK - KSEE24.com
May 2, 2012
After heavy police layoffs in 2010, arrests plunged in Newark and Camden in 2011
Police in Newark and Camden made nearly 7,700 fewer arrests last year than in 2010 as violent crime rose during the same period in the wake of some of the largest police layoffs in New Jersey history.
But while many had suggested the layoffs would result in surges in violent crime, the trend actually began at least a year before the first officers were handed pink slips.
After looming budget deficits forced the two cities to lay off more than 160 cops each, the combined number of arrests fell to 25,012 last year from 32,703 in 2010, records show. Camden’s arrest rate dropped 43 percent last year from 2010, while Newark’s dropped by 16 percent...
LINK - NJ.com
May 2, 2012
Illinois Senate panel votes down pension measure
An Illinois Senate committee on Wednesday rejected a measure that would force local government to pick up the tab when it gives an ex-lawmaker a big paycheck to fatten his pension.
The bill passed the House on a 110-0 vote in March. The legislation sought to require cities, villages or other governments employing a former lawmaker for short periods of time to pay for the additional pension expenses that go with the new job, said House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego, who sponsored the bill in his chamber...
LINK - http://articles.chicagotribune.com
May 2, 2012
DeMaio Unveils Plan to End DROP “Double Dipping” in Pension System
Councilmember Carl DeMaio, one of the primary authors of the Prop B Comprehensive Pension Reform (CPR) Initiative, today unveiled another sweeping pension reform proposal to end the notorious DROP Program in the city’s pension system.
The DROP Program allows city employees to retire in place and retain their jobs for up to five years – resulting in a “double dipping” perk where city employees continue receiving a full salary while simultaneously receiving a full pension payout...
LINK - SDRostra.com
May 2, 2012
OC taps reserves to pay for realignment prisoners
Orange County is tapping into its reserves to cover a Sheriff's Department budget shortfall blamed mostly on the state's prisoner realignment program.
The Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to take $11.4 million from reserves to cover much of the department's deficit...
LINK - KTVN.com
May 1, 2012
Man charged with murder in 2011 stabbing death
The primary suspect in last year’s fatal stabbing of a 31-year-old Oakland man near Anderson City Hall has been charged with murder and a series of criminal enhancements by the Shasta County district attorney’s office.
Vincent Gino Chavez Jr., 30, of San Jose is charged with one count of murder in the Aug. 13 stabbing death of Sue Eian Saeturn, 31.
He’s also charged with six enhancements, including street terrorism, criminal street gang activity and being a prior felon, according to electronic Shasta County Superior Court records...
LINK - Redding.com
May 1, 2012
Man charged with beating girlfriend was parolee released from jail early to relieve crowding
A man charged with the attempted murder of his girlfriend was a parole violator who had been released early from county jail because of overcrowding, state and county authorities said Tuesday.
Raoul Leyva, 33, was in county custody because of the state's seven-month-old realignment law, which sends lower-level offenders to jails instead of state prison...
LINK - TheRepublic.com
May 1, 2012
Norco prison closure may move jobs, but open other opportunities
The possible closure of a state prison in Norco is fanning fears that it may hurt the local economy. Some support the closure.
In years past, the Norconian resort was one of the grandest hotels around, complete with a golf course, man-made lake, and even a lakeside pavilion.
"It was fantastic," said Norco Mayor Kevin Bash. "Clark Gable came here, you had Gene Harlow, you had the Three Stooges. You name a movie star, they came here."
Today, however, convicts are the ones who stay on site. In the 1960s, the place was transformed into a prison. Now the state is considering selling it to save money...
LINK - ABCLocal.GO.com
May 1, 2012
Corcoran inmate convicted in sexual harassment case
A known sex offender being housed at California State Prison Corcoran has been convicted of committing a sexual offense against a female correctional officer, Kings County District Attorney’s officials said Monday.
Abel Magallon Ceja, 36, is now facing a likely 25 years-to-life sentence at the Corcoran facility for the conviction. Prosecutors did not give any details on the offense...
LINK - HanfordSentinel.com
May 1, 2012
Unhappy Campers: State prison sentences extended for three
Three state prisoners have had their prison terms extended as a result of new felony convictions entered in Mendocino County Superior Court.
In the first case, an inmate housed at the Chamberlain Creek Conservation Camp snuck out of the camp after curfew on the night of October 1, 2011 to meet a woman. An off-duty correctional guard happened upon the couple in flagrante delicto in a car about a half mile from the prison camp. Convicted of a walk-away escape, Daniel Paul Mortensen, 28, of Rescue, Calif., was sentenced on April 6 to serve an additional 32 months in prison.
At the time of his escape, Mortensen was serving a prison sentence out of the El Dorado County Superior Court for domestic violence-related criminal intimidation of a witness, a felony...
LINK - UkiahDailyJournal.com
April 30, 2012
2012 Intent to Run - Executive Council Position
The 2012 Intent to Run form is now available for this year's Executive Council Positions.
The form must be returned to the CCPOA offices by July 11, 2012. Please see the form below for details.
April 30, 2012
Bill to Ease Jail Overcrowding Voted Down
An Inland Empire lawmaker's bill, aimed at easing overcrowding in local jails by requiring that inmates serving sentences of three or more years automatically go to prison, was voted down in a Senate committee last week.
Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Riverside, introduced Senate Bill 1441 with the intent of amending legislation signed into law a year ago by Gov. Jerry Brown that allowed convicted felons to be sentenced to multiple years in counties' detention facilities, whereas before anyone sentenced to more than a year behind bars went to the penitentiary...
LINK - Murrieta.Patch.com
April 30, 2012
Fresno Bee Editorial on Realignment
The one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming that California would have to lower the number of inmates in its overcrowded 33-prison system comes in May.
So where are we? The prison population has dropped dramatically -- by 22,000 inmates. The triple bunks in gymnasiums, dayrooms and other areas are gone. Most prisons are noticeably quieter and less violent.
The finality of the U.S. Supreme Court decision provided focus for all parties to get on with the task of reducing the state's prison population...
LINK - FresnoBee.com
April 27, 2012
CMC inmate died of injuries caused by blunt force trauma, autopsy shows
Injuries resulting from blunt force trauma led to the death of California Men’s Colony inmate Michael Walsh, who was killed Saturday during an altercation with another inmate.
Walsh died from brain swelling due to a hemorrhage caused by blunt force trauma to the head, according to autopsy results released Thursday. The coroner also found Walsh inhaled blood from blunt force trauma to his face, which contributed to his death.
The prison’s investigative services unit is in charge of the ongoing homicide investigation...
LINK - SanLuisObispo.com
April 27, 2012
Ridley-Thomas on Juvenile Justice & Reform
Several weeks ago, I was a spectator in a remarkable classroom. An instructor from India was teaching a group of African-American, Latino, and white high school students about religion in South Asia and showing them pictures of Krishna, Vishnu, and Ganesha on a multimedia “smart board” she controlled with a laptop computer.
As a former teacher and a career civil rights advocate interested in improving education for minority youths, I found the scene heart-warming. But the visit was also heartbreaking.
The class was taking place in a juvenile detention facility in Houston. Of course, seeing young men incarcerated is always tragic. But what hurt most was realizing that this everyday ritual in Texas—in which students gathered in an innovative, engaging class in a youth probation camp—was something I’d rarely see in Los Angeles...
LINK - CityWatchLA.com
April 27, 2012
Rural Ky. town readies for private prison closure
After a sex scandal at a privately run prison in rural Kentucky, the state cut off the institution's funding and now it's shutting down _ and that worries town officials in an impoverished Appalachian community where incarceration meant jobs and economic survival.
With Otter Creek Correctional Center set to close in the coming months, Mike Goeing, who runs Family Drugs of Wheelwright, sees pain ahead for his store and the other few remaining businesses in the town of about 1,200.
"It's definitely going to hurt," he said...
LINK - STLToday.com
April 27, 2012
County wrestles with idea to add TV for juvenile inmates
An attempt to allocate money toward recreational equipment at Merced County's juvenile detention facilities hit a wall this week during a Board of Supervisors meeting.
The move would've set aside $15,000 to buy the equipment, which would include an antenna to receive TV channels, pingpong tables, possibly foosball tables and similar equipment.
But such additions to Merced County's juvenile facilities will have to wait because the transfer of funds to pay for it, which required a four-fifths vote, failed on a 3 to 1 vote by the board...
LINK - MercedSunStar.com
April 27, 2012
Employees’ children learn about work day at state prisons in Vacaville
More than 60 youngsters experienced an up-close look at prison life Thursday at California Medical Facility during the yearly celebration of Bring Your Child To Work Day.
Joining thousands of workplaces across the country, the outer grounds of the prison were teeming with the children of staff from both CMF and neighboring California State Prison-Solano. The children met with CMF Warden Vimal J. Singh before beginning a host of activities ranging from examinations of contraband items and cell searches to demonstrations by CSP-Solano's
K-9 unit and a visit to CMF's fire department to see how the Jaws of Life work. A bike raffle followed...
LINK - TimesHeraldOnline.com
April 26, 2012
California’s ‘Three Strikes’ overhaul measure turns in signatures
A proposal to revise California's "Three Strikes" sentencing law appears headed for the November ballot.
Initiative proponents announced today that they are submitting to election officials more than 830,000 voter signatures in support of the proposal. They need 504,760 valid voter signatures to qualify for November ballot.
Under the proposal, only offenders convicted of a "third strike" felony that is violent or serious would face a minimum sentence of 25 to life in prison. The measure, which is modeled after proposed legislation, would also allow some offenders currently behind bars for a "third strike" that was a minor crime to seek a re-sentencing...
LINK - SacBee.com
April 26, 2012
Solano County grand jury cites prison’s overtime costs (CSP-Solano) recommends contract transport
Following inspections of one of Vacaville's prisons, the Solano County grand jury reported Wednesday that more could be done to combat the issues of inmate cell phone use, high overtime costs and the lack of recreation equipment.
The report of California State Prison-Solano was based on two separate visits to the prison in September and November and was part of the grand jury's responsibility to inspect the condition and management of the county's prisons.
During the grand jury's visit to the medium-security prison in September, it was reportedly operating at 144 percent of its capacity, with a total of 5,200 Level II and higher-risk Level III inmates...
LINK - TheReporter.com
April 26, 2012
The State Worker: Union money, personal sorrow join to shape public policy
The event on the Capitol's west steps seemed like a public employee union rally: provocative speakers whipping up an audience of hundreds sympathetic to the cause.
But the 23rd annual Victims March on the Capitol on Tuesday wasn't a labor protest. Instead, it displayed how union money and grim sorrow mingle powerfully in California to shape politics and policy.
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association sponsored the event organized by its proxy, the nonprofit Crime Victims United of California.
Gov. Jerry Brown, who benefited from $1.8 million CCPOA spent supporting his 2010 candidacy, headlined a long list of speakers...
LINK - SacBee.com
April 26, 2012
Fewer prisoners at California Men’s Colony
California prison ‘realignment’ reduces population at the site, will result in job cuts over time
Fewer prisoners are being sent to the California Men’s Colony, and the institution expects to lose 200 additional custodial and noncustodial jobs over time, according to a report from the San Luis Obispo County civil grand jury.
State law requires the county to assess the state of the prison annually, and this year grand jurors have done so in the wake of the state’s so-called “realignment,” under which county governments have received responsibility for managing and supervising certain offenders who previously were sent to state prison or paroled...
LINK - SanLuisObispo.com
April 26, 2012
Parolee arrested for stabbing in Banning
At 1:07 p.m. on April 24, officers responded to a report of a stabbing at 1512 E. Nicolet Street, Banning. The assault victim, a 38-year-old-male, was stabilized and then transported by ambulance to Desert Regional Hospital.
The suspect, 28-year-old Jarvis Bell, a parolee from Banning, was located a short time later hiding behind a home located at 278 N. Cherry Street...
LINK - RecordGazette.net
April 25, 2012
Armed Bulldog gang member arrested after robbery
A Bulldog gang member is in jail after police say he snatched a necklace from a cashier at an East Central Fresno market.
Fresno Police arrested Gerald Kane Tuesday morning. Investigators say Kane was armed when he walked in to a Get N Go Market on Tulare and Peach in East Central Fresno Monday night...
LINK - ABCLocal.go.com
April 25, 2012
Suspect shot by Merced police was wanted for previous crimes
A 27-year-old man who was shot by Merced police Monday after they say he crashed into a bus and tried to run over two officers has been identified as Michael Chase Stafford.
Stafford, a Stanislaus County resident, is a parolee who recently served time in prison for auto theft, identity theft and possession of a controlled substance, according to Lt. Bimley West.
The suspect has previously been arrested for evading law enforcement, as well as narcotics and fraud violations dating back to 2003...
LINK - MercedSunStar.com
April 25, 2012
Traffic stop leads to parolee arrest, meth bust
A sheriff's deputy arrested two men at a Sixth Street gas station early Tuesday morning after one man attempted to flee the scene.
The deputy stopped a green Toyota pickup for driving without working taillights at the Circle K gas station about 1 a.m., according to a Humboldt County Sheriff's Office press release. The deputy contacted the driver, 35-year-old Kevin Lawrence Rossiter, of Eureka, while a second deputy contacted Rossiter's passenger, who identified himself as Chris Hart, according to the release...
LINK - Times-Standard.com
April 24, 2012
Firm Leaves Miss. After Its Prison Is Called ‘Cesspool’ (Cornell/GEO)
One month after a federal court ordered sweeping changes at a troubled juvenile prison in rural Mississippi, the private company managing the prison has announced it is pulling out of the state. A report by the Justice Department describes "systemic, egregious and dangerous practices" at the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility.
As those words imply, the official report is scathing.
Federal Judge Carlton Reeves wrote that the youth prison "has allowed a cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts and conditions to germinate, the sum of which places the offenders at substantial ongoing risk..."
LINK - NPR.org
April 24, 2012
Prison Privateer CCA Stock Dives on News of CDCR Changes
Corrections Corporation of America (NYSE: CXW) is under heavy pressure early Tuesday which appears to be related to reports that larger customer California announced major overhaul of its prison system.
The state is seeking to cut billions in spending, cancel construction projects, close one lockup and bring back 9,500 inmates housed in other states, according to the LA Times.
"It's a massive change," said Matthew Cate, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation...
LINK - StreetInsider.com
April 24, 2012
Californians to vote on abolishing death penalty
California voters will soon get a chance to decide whether to replace the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A measure to abolish capital punishment in California qualified for the November ballot on Monday, Secretary of State Debra Bowen said.
If it passes, the 725 California inmates now on Death Row will have their sentences converted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It would also make life without parole the harshest penalty prosecutors can seek...
LINK - Google.com
April 24, 2012
Proposed Norco-CRC Closure Discussed
Norco officials said Tuesday they were happy to hear that the state might close the medium-security prison in their city, but some business owners and employees said the shutdown could cut their income or leave them jobless.
Mayor Kevin Bash is one of three city officials who couldn’t resist imagining the prison’s 3,900 inmates gone and the historic Norconian hotel that sits on prison property restored to its original grandeur...
LINK - PE.com
April 24, 2012
Soledad to become ‘re-entry’ hub for inmates
One of two state prisons in Soledad is scheduled to become major educational and training hub for paroling inmates under an aggressive overhaul plan unveiled Monday by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The 244-page plan, which officials said will bring about $1.5 billion in budget savings when fully in place, names the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, known as CTF, as one of nine "re-entry hubs" providing life and vocational skills to male inmates preparing to re-join society. Several facilities for women will become re-entry hubs...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
April 24, 2012
California finally has a plan to cut prison costs
The two dominant political issues of Jerry Brown's first governorship were taxes and crime, and as a more-or-less liberal Democrat with soaring ambitions, he struggled mightily to avoid fallout from both.
While Brown opposed Proposition 13, the era's landmark anti-tax measure, he quickly embraced it after its passage in 1978, declared himself to be a "born-again tax cutter," and sponsored a hefty state income tax cut as he sought re-election to a second term...
LINK - SacBee.com
April 24, 2012
California to Eliminate Private Prison Payments
California prison officials plan to reduce spending by more than $30 billion over the next 10 years through a combination of measures, which includes eliminating payments to private jail facilities in other states that now house California inmates.
By bringing inmates held elsewhere back into the state-run system, California is expected to save an estimated $318 million a year now paid to private jails, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But an inmate advocacy group that sued the state to reduce prison overcrowding says it will oppose a planned request to raise the federal court-imposed limit by 6,000 prisoners....
LINK - NewsMax.com
April 23, 2012
CCPOA Member Alert: CDCR Facility Closure & Staffing cuts
This afternoon, CDCR announced their plan to reduce 6,400 staff positions and the proposed closure of the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco. No specific date for the closure has been given. CDCR cites court ordered mandates and the state’s attempt to address overcrowding as the primary reason for the cuts. Matt Cate, CDCR secretary, also stated that the plan is a result of the decline in the inmate population as a result of CDCR’s realignment plan...
April 23, 2012
California women’s prisons trying to save programs
Joanna Huerta and Rosie Gonzales stood shoulder to shoulder, dressed in matching orange jumpsuits and giggling as they peeped out through the clear plastic window in their cell door to joke with an inmate across the hall.
Ten years ago, Huerta and Gonzales would have been sharing their room with at least six other women. Today, however, the cells in housing unit 501 at Central California Women's Facility are only half-full - and with the new room has come new freedom...
LINK - SFGate.com
April 23, 2012
The Case for Phased Juvenile Justice Realignment in California
California is embarking on an ambitious and deep-rooted reform of its corrections system, an effort that has come to be known as realignment. Gov. Jerry Brown’s main aims in this undertaking is to reduce dramatically high costs, as well as overcrowding and recidivism rates by transferring non-serious adult offenders and parolees from the state to the counties.
But concurrent to this effort, many reform-minded criminal justice advocates also propose a full devolution of the state juvenile system to local counties. Full juvenile realignment is a historic opportunity to end a failed system, while addressing county-level discrepancies in sentencing and services. California’s 58 counties already manage much of the juvenile system, including total responsibility for supervising probation...
LINK - JJIE.org
April 23, 2012
High speed pursuit goes through Taft
A parolee from Bakersfield led California Highway officers and Kern County Sheriff's deputies on a 94-mile high speed pursuit that went through Taft early Friday.
The chase ended without incident just south of Bakersfield when the suspect vehicle's wheels disintegrated after the tires were flattened by a spike strip, the CHP said.
The suspect's identity was not immediately available...
LINK - TaftMidwayDriller.com
April 23, 2012
4 Stabbed During Fight At Vista Apt. Complex
Four men were hospitalized early Monday after being stabbed during a melee in Vista, which led to a fifth man being jailed for being a parolee at-large, authorities said.
Several black and Samoan men fought in the 200 block of North Emerald Drive shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday, according to San Diego County sheriff's Sgt. Hernan Gonzalez.
During the fight, two black men and two Samoan men were stabbed, Gonzalez said in a statement...
LINK - 10News.com
April 23, 2012
Parolee arrested after brief chase
Police officers caught a parolee who was carrying two knives and methamphetamine Saturday night, police said.
Clyde Highby, 29, who is believed to be from Lodi, was captured after he led officers on a foot chase at 10:30 p.m. at Central Avenue and Walnut Street, police said...
LINK - LodiNews.com
April 23, 2012
Preliminary Hearing for Murder Suspect in Culver City Double Homicide
A preliminary hearing is scheduled today at the Airport Branch courthouse for Zackariah Lehnen.
Lehnen, a 31-year-old transient, is charged with fatally stabbing 89-year-old Lucien Bergez and 27-year-old Erica Escobar, whose bodies were found in Berger’s Culver City home on May 3, 2011.
According to Culver City Police Chief Don Pederson, Lehnen already has a criminal record, including arrests for domestic violence and narcotics...
LINK - CulverCity.Patch.com
April 23, 2012
Calif. prison overhaul would save $1.5B a year
California prison officials on Monday released a wide-ranging reorganization plan that calls for halting a $4 billion prison-construction program and bringing back all inmates held out of state.
The master plan outlines the department's recommendations for ending years of federal court oversight, overcrowding, poor inmate medical and mental health treatment, and soaring budgets. It comes at a time that the nation's largest state prison system is being transformed by ongoing state budget deficits, federal court orders and a realignment ordered by the governor that shifts its focus to the most violent and dangerous offenders.
The plan was to be discussed later Monday at a Capitol news conference...
LINK - SFGate.com
April 23, 2012
Prison officials offer plan for ‘massive’ change to cut costs
California officials announced plans today for a "massive" change in how they handle the state's prison system, part of an effort to get out from under court-ordered mandates that address overcrowding and health care deficiencies.
The plan calls for the closure of the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, the return of inmates held in out-of-state prisons and cost-cutting measures that will save $1 billion this year and billions more in years to come, Matthew Cate, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said at a Capitol press conference this morning.
"It's a massive change," Cate said...
LINK - SacBee.com
April 23, 2012
NORCO: State proposes closing prison (Assm. Miller supports CRC closure?)
The state prison in Norco would be closed as part of a corrections overhaul announced Monday that would save California $1.5 billion a year.
The California Rehabilitation Center has 1,050 authorized positions with a payroll of $76.8 million and houses 3,900 inmates. Closing it would save about $160 million a year in operating costs, authorities said.
The wide-ranging reorganization plan also includes halting a $4 billion prison-construction program, and outlines the department’s recommendations for ending years of federal court oversight, crowding, poor inmate medical and mental health treatment, and soaring budgets...
LINK - PE.com
April 21, 2012
Prison realignment hasn’t yet compromised safety in Butte County
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said, up to this point, realignment is being achieved without a serious compromise to public safety.
"Unfortunately, the major consequence of AB109 is that there will be people out on the street that shouldn't be there and in the past would have been in custody," Ramsey said.
The Sacramento-based Criminal Justice Legal Foundation claims offenders who now qualify for local jail or treatment under AB109 are already being arrested for new felonies, including violent crimes. The new law prevents criminals whose most recent conviction is for one of a host of theft- or drug-related felonies from being sentenced to state prison...
LINK - OrovilleMR.com
April 21, 2012
CMF cell phone issue concerns grand jurors
California Medical Facility in Vacaville should have a plan to control unauthorized use of cell phones among inmates, the Solano grand jury recommended in a report issued Friday.
The jury, which regularly reviews and reports on various government institutions, said its concern is that inmates' can use unauthorized cell phones for illegal purposes which poses a threat to staff and inmate safety, according to the report.
"CMF staff stated there is a problem with cell phones being smuggled in by staff members and vendors for inmates' illegal use," the report noted...
LINK - TheReporter.com
