Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor WEST COVINA - Police wants the community to take part in a forum May 29 on the effects of AB109, Prop 47 and Prop 57 on law enforcement and neighborhood safety.
The forum takes place tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Cameron Community Center, 1305 E. Cameron Ave. West Covina Police seek to raise the community’s awareness of the impact these laws are having across the state, to provide a consistent message on the facts of these three laws and to advocate the state legislature to improve law enforcement’s ability to respond to crime. The above-mentioned California laws have put a strain on local law enforcement efforts since their enactment into law. Once called “a grave threat to public safety” by former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, AB109 shifts the responsibility of certain offenders by allowing non-violent, non-serious and non-sex offenders to serve their sentences in county jails as opposed to state prisons. Criminals convicted under one or more of 500 felony crimes will serve their sentences in county jail in order to reduce prison overcrowding to comply with an order handed by a three-court judge in 2011. Under AB109 (public safety realignment), high-profile crimes have come at the hands of certain criminals out on PRCS. AB 109 released 45,000 felons from the state prison system and overloaded local jails, resulting in the release of tens of thousands of lower-level criminals into the community, West Covina Police said. In February 2017, Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer was shot and killed by Michael Mejia, a 26-year-old criminal who was out on community supervision, paroled just 10 days prior. AB 47 was responsible for reducing penalties for non-violent, non-serious crimes, reducing them to misdemeanors, including drug offenses. Not included are prior convictions for murder, rape, certain sex offenses and certain gun crimes. While Prop 47 reduced the prison population by thousands in its first year, local law enforcement has had to keep up with repeat offenders who are able to break laws and suffer minimal consequences. Many criminals note that committing crime is easier now because of Prop 47. In a November 6, 2015 Los Angeles Times article, a 30-year-old Hacienda Heights man was perfectly honest in saying he was able to continue stealing from his neighborhood and was able to continue his meth addiction while flouting drug rehab because of Prop 47. Prop 57 essentially provides incentives for criminals who undertake their own rehabilitation. Criminals earn credit for good behavior and in-prison program and activities participation, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. Prop 57 also allows moves up parole consideration for non-violent offenders who served the full term of the sentence for their primary offense. Up to 30,000 criminals convicted on non-violent felonies could be released under Prop 57, West Covina Polic said. |
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