PETALUMA – In a recent press release issued by the Petaluma Police Department it was reported that a multi-agency operation targeting high-risk felony offenders on probation was conducted on November 13th.
The operation included officers from various jurisdictions across Sonoma County including; Santa Rosa PD, Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, Sebastopol PD, Petaluma PD, Windsor PD, Sonoma PD, the Sonoma County Probation Department and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.
Compliance checks were conducted on 38 of 65 subjects, which had been identified within the County under Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS). A total of 16 arrests were made at various locations around the county within a ten-hour period as a result of the public safety enforcement.
The operation was funded by the State through the Board of State of Community Corrections (BSCC) to address crimes impacting local communities. The BSCC funding is a result of the Realignment Act of 2011 via Assembly Bill 109, which was designed to assist front line community law enforcement in providing public safety.
The operation addresses gaps in the Criminal Justice System and focuses on; 1) persons on felony probation determined to be at high risk to re-offend, 2) habitual felony offenders at high risk to offend with outstanding warrants, 3) persons on PRCS with outstanding warrants, and 4) persons identified as high risk after they have been directly released from custody to the community.
The Sonoma County Probation Department will continue to conduct risk assessments to identify individuals subject to operations involving the use of these funds provided to Sonoma County.
The California Police Chiefs’ Association had proposed that these funds be used regionally in collaboration between police departments to address the impact of crime in their communities. Departments also partner with county probation departments while employing best practices in focusing on serious, violent and habitual felony offenders.