Working with local law enforcement, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) today launched version 2.0 of its online parolee database that provides police and sheriff’s deputies faster and more thorough access to offender information, including photos and criminal background. “The delivery of timely and accurate information is always key in developing positive partnerships and assists all law enforcement agencies to protect public safety,” said CDCR Secretary Matthew L. Cate. “This new LEADS system developed by CDCR parole will provide local law enforcement with detailed information about parolees in their communities.” “I want to personally thank all participating local law enforcement agencies in working with us to better protect the public by helping to improve this tool to be more precise and user-friendly.”
NEWS STORIES:
Sex Offenders:
Fact Check: Keeping Track of Sex Offenders
By Keegan Kyle, Voice of San Diego -- Statement: "San Diego County has the highest percentage of knowing where the sex registrants are of anywhere in California. I think it's something like 98 percent of all the registered sex offenders are known and tracked regularly. There's some counties where that's 50 percent or 60 percent. So we're doing a good job here," Sheriff Bill Gore said during a public safety panel June 22. Determination: Mostly True
Institutions:
Drama and romance in San Quentin
More Marin -- Inside the walls of San Quentin, there was an unusual announcement over the intercom, "The Protestant chapel will be open for Shakespeare after dinner, all are welcomed to attend!" For the seventh year in a row, the Marin Shakespeare Company, and the William James Association have sponsored Suraya Keating in directing Shakespearean plays at San Quentin State Prison.
Budget:
California budget deadline passes without a budget
By Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times -- California begins a new budget year Thursday without a spending plan in place and with no agreement imminent between state legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on how to close a $19.1-billion deficit. State employees and others who depend on government money were bracing Wednesday for the possible fallout. Thousands of state workers took to the Capitol steps, protesting spending cuts and the governor's threat to slash their pay. Community colleges and vendors that do business with the state are on edge, their payments in jeopardy because of the budget delay. And California's top finance officials warned of further reductions in the state's already woeful credit ratings on Wall Street.
CDCR Related and Miscellaneous:
Jerry Brown, in Monterey, vows to focus on prison gangs
By Julia Reynolds, Monterey Herald -- California Attorney General Jerry Brown promised to expand the state's anti-gang efforts by cracking down on prison gangs — such as the Nuestra Familia, Mexican Mafia and Aryan Brotherhood — if he is elected governor. "Gangs in prisons ... are shaping up gang activity on the streets," he said after speaking at a prosecutors conference in Monterey on Tuesday. "That's very dangerous." Brown was in town to attend a governor candidates forum at this week's California District Attorneys Association conference.
Monterey County agencies begin talks about drug and gang task force
By Sunita Vijayan, Salinas Californian -- Although faced with leaner city budgets, law enforcement agencies around Monterey County are determined to push forward with a newly formed task force targeting gangs and their drug trade, Salinas' police chief says. On Tuesday, more than a half-dozen local and state agencies met to discuss how the partnership — dubbed the Monterey County Narcotics and Violence Task Force — will work. California Attorney General Jerry Brown announced the effort in April, the same day Operation Knockout culminated with the arrests of dozens of gang members in Salinas. The crackdown targeted leadership within the Nuestra Familia prison gang. Salinas police Chief Louis Fetherolf said Wednesday that he was chosen to serve as interim chairman of the task force's governing board.
Wall of Separation
My Auburn Journal -- 'Religious Liberty For Me But Not For Thee' Department: A Texas-based Christian group is arguing in a California court on behalf of the California Department of Corrections that the First Amendment to the US Constitution protects only major religions beliefs, but offers no protection for minority religions. The reality-bending claim was made in an amicus curiae brief filed by WallBuilders, a Texas Christian group whose founder David Barton asserts that America was intended to be a “Christian nation.” WallBuilders is represented in McCollum v. CDCF by a conservative Christian law firm, the National Legal Foundation, which made the assertion in a case dealing with prison chaplains. The Reverend Patrick McCollum, a Wiccan clergyman, is suing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, asserting religious discrimination.
California Consolidation
By Raju Sah, State Tech Magazine -- Server virtualization technology creates multiple virtual servers on a single physical server. At the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, we’ve virtualized 320 of approximately 800 servers to achieve a consolidation ratio of 4 to 10. While VMware is an excellent choice for virtualization software, there are many other options available today. Citrix XenServer, HP Integrity Virtual Machines and Microsoft Hyper-V are some other options to explore. These platforms may be more cost effective or provide more flexibility to virtualize heterogeneous environments. For example, HP Integrity VM can be used to virtualize not only Windows and Linux servers, but also HP-UX.
OPINION:
Reform efforts advance
San Diego Union Tribune -- The developments Tuesday involving Chelsea’s Law – the Senate Public Safety Committee’s unanimous adoption of an expanded, improved version of Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher’s bill reforming how California deals with violent sex offenders – got the headlines. But three other measures with roots in San Diego County’s recent tragedies – the rapes and murders of local teens Chelsea King and Amber Dubois by convicted sex offender John Gardner III – are also advancing and deserve plenty of attention as well. The measures focus on improving how authorities react to child abductions. They were written by Assemblymen Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, and Paul Cook, R-Yucaipa, in conjunction with Moe Dubois, Amber’s father, and his More Kids advocacy group. All have been approved by the Senate public safety panel and are now before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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