KCRA finds California parolees cutting off GPS monitors

A KCRA Investigation following missing parolees found a serious flaw in the state’s prison realignment plan.

Sexual predators are supposed to be monitored by GPS under California’s Megan’s Law.  But KCRA has obtained a wanted list of parolees who either cut off or never showed up to wear their GPS monitor.  More than a thousand are missing and 900 of those are sex offenders. 

Under California’s realignment plan, even if the predators are caught it’s not a felony to cut off your GPS.  Last year, you’d serve out all of your sentence in the state pen.  Today, they don’t go back to prison, they end up in the county jail.  KCRA reviewed more than 8,000 parolee offenses over the last year and found most get minimal jail time ... if any.

"A KCRA investigation found that the California Department of Corrections quietly began a “review process” that could effectively let nearly 10,000 people who ran away from parole off the hook." 

"Using sourced internal memos and lists of parolees KCRA was able to determine that the 3-phase program would review everyone from minor offenders to those accused of the most violent offenses were in a hurried review that would end before July of next year.  If the prison system doesn’t discharge them, the warrants all end up in the hands of the county."

Welcome to IRE's roundup of the weekend’s many enterprise stories from around the country. We’ll highlight the document digging, field work and data analysis that made their way into centerpieces in print, broadcast and online from coast to coast. Coverage this week was dominated by the election, but there was some watchdog coverage to be found in other areas. In preview of the election, we've got a roundup of some of the data-driven work that's been done this campaign season.

Did we miss some? Let us know.  Send us an email at web@ire.org or tweet to @IRE_NICAR. We’ll add it to the list and spread the word. 

The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Atlanta police wanted helicopter replaced in 2001 
"The Atlanta police helicopter that crashed Saturday night, killing two officers, was a Vietnam War-era chopper that city officials 11 years ago said had outlived its useful life."

The Indianapolis Star
Just 1 in 10 Indianapolis residents recycle. Why is that?
"Just 10 percent of households participate in curbside recycling. That means Indianapolis, which has been striving since 2008 to become 'the most sustainable city in the Midwest,' has one of the most underused recycling programs in the nation for a city its size."

The Milwuakee Journal Sentinel
With no oversight, police can ignore domestic violence laws
"Wisconsin's laws on how police must respond to domestic violence are among the most comprehensive in the country, but no one has the authority to enforce them, a Journal Sentinel investigation has found. And if the laws are ignored, there are no penalties."

The Houston Chronicle
Alleged HISD fee scheme detailed
"HISD trustee Larry Marshall voted repeatedly to award taxpayer-funded contracts to companies that hired his longtime business associate - who gave him a cut of her earnings, according to court records, deposition testimony and interviews."

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Parking ticket abuse rampant by Rochester Police
"A month-long investigation by the Democrat and Chronicle revealed that the Police Department routinely violated its own policies by fixing tickets for officers and their friends and relatives for flimsy excuses or none at all."

The Palm Beach Post
Felons, dead people are eligible voters on final Palm Beach County roll 
"Peter Costello, a felon convicted of racketeering and fraud in 1998, has no right to vote because his civil rights never have been restored.But that didn’t stop the registered Republican from casting a ballot in the Aug. 14 primary, and, he said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post, submitting an absentee ballot for Tuesday’s election."

"Wisconsin's laws on how police must respond to domestic violence are among the most comprehensive in the country, but no one has the authority to enforce them, a Journal Sentinel investigation has found. And if the laws are ignored, there are no penalties."

The Journal Sentinel's investigation notes that law enforcement agencies have to have policies stipulating how they will respond to these cases, but that there isn't any oversight to check whether departments have made them.

"Despite a stunning drop in homicides in D.C., murder remains a stubborn crime to solve and prosecute. The Washington Post has reviewed nearly 2,300 slayings in the city between 2000 and 2011 and found that less than a third have led to a conviction for murder or manslaughter, although the numbers have improved in the past few years."

"According to The Post’s investigation, more than 1,000 cases remain unsolved. In a 15-month study, Cheryl Thompson individually tracked every homicide in the District between 2000 and 2011 to learn what ultimately happened to each ensuing case."