Law enforcement officials throughout the region and across the state are bracing for a possible spike in crime as thousands of state and county prisoners are returned to the streets under a new law aimed at cutting government expenses.

More than 130 non-violent San Bernardino County jail inmates have been turned loose early since Monday and more than 1,000 others could soon join them on the outside.

That's in addition to 6,500 non-violent state prison inmates who are slated for early release in the next 12 months.

"Even though the prisoners that will be released may not be violent offenders, they're still offenders and I don't think we should be surprised to see our property crimes increase," Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann said…

First Baptist Church of Yucaipa Secretary Carol Smith aided in the apprehension of a parolee when she followed the suspect, Manuel Albert Reyes, 41, of Fontana from the church parking lot at 34784 Yucaipa Blvd. to a San Bernardino business after witnessing the suspect steal the church's bus.

The incident began about 10:45 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. Smith said she pulled into the church parking lot with her 13-year-old granddaughter and saw a man getting into the bus. "I asked him who he was and he said he was going to take the bus to the shop," Smith reported. "When things didn't look quite right, I got a little suspicious."

Smith followed the suspect in the small 26-passenger bus along Yucaipa Boulevard onto the I-10 freeway while on the phone with Sheriff Dispatch…

A Victorville parolee was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty after he reportedly assaulted his 13-year-old cousin, possibly fracturing his jaw, Sheriff's deputies said.

Deputies responded to a call of an assault on a child 10:20 p.m. Wednesday in the 10500 block of Arlington Street, in Adelanto, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The victim suffered a fat lip, facial lacerations, broken teeth and a possible broken jaw, deputies said. Paramedics assessed and treated the victim at the scene, but he was driven to a local hospital by his mother…

One of two state inmates who escaped from a minimum-security fire camp near Yucaipa broke into the home of two law enforcement officers and stole a rifle, handgun and uniform before fleeing in a Jeep on Thursday, authorities said.

Authorities said 28-year-old Oscar Delcid Jr., who was serving time for auto theft, was on the lam about eight hours before he was found at a residence in Rancho Cucamonga and arrested at about 1 a.m. today.

The home he is believed to have robbed belongs to a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy who is on the department's bomb-arson squad and his wife is a San Bernardino police officer. It was her uniform that was stolen, law enforcement sources said…

A total of 1,203 arrests were made and more than 50 parolees were sent back to state prison during the 30-day Operation Desert Heat.

During the operation, which targeted criminal gang activity in the Victor Valley, local crime decreased with robberies dropping by 41 percent from the same time last year and incidents of carjacking fell by 40 percent, according San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department officials.

"I'm convinced we have made a positive impact on gangs and crime in the Victor Valley," said Sheriff Gary Penrod in a released statement…

VICTORVILLE — In an effort to combat the rising gang and drug problem in the Victor Valley, various law enforcement agencies will begin saturating the pre-designated high-crime areas for the next 30 days, according to officials.

"We're seeing that the (gang problem) is getting worse and worse and worse," said San Bernardino County Sheriff Gary Penrod. As a response to the problem, various agencies including the Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, San Bernardino County Probation and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be embarking on Operation Desert Heat, which will focus its efforts on gang and criminal activity in the Victor Valley…

State and local officials said over the past week that they're still pursuing new corrections facilities that are intended to prevent San Bernardino County parolees from returning to prison. There are two types of institutions that could be used locally as attempts to reform corrections policies. One would be geared toward assisting inmates who have yet to be released from prison, and the other is intended to serve probationers and parolees who are at risk of being sent behind bars.

But at this point, it's still not certain when those new institutions may be parts of the county's public safety landscape. Despite officials' enthusiasm for the planned facilities, the state budget crisis and a lawsuit that challenges major prison reform legislation both present obstacles to law enforcement…

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors are expected Tuesday to request funding in the amount of $100 million to help add 1,368 additional jail beds to the Adelanto Detention Center.

On May 3, 2007, the Public Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007 became law. Among its provisions, state agencies are authorized to enter into agreements with participating counties for the acquisition, design and construction of local jail facilities.

Up to $1.2 billion is authorized by the legislation for county jail construction in two phases. In phase one, up to $750 million in funding is available through a competitive process. The board will consider a request to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Corrections Standards Authority, asking for the funds.

The Adelanto City Council may pass a resolution Wednesday in support of becoming a site for a state department of corrections and rehabilitation re-entry facility. The facility would house inmates 12 months or less prior to their release date and would provide services to prepare them to become members of the community again, said Glen Pratt, the deputy chief of corrections and detentions for San Bernardino County…

San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos joined others in the law enforcement community to argue against early discharges at a meeting Tuesday with representatives from the Governor's Office and corrections officials in Sacramento. "I've been fighting this issue for two years," Ramos said during a telephone interview Wednesday…