Probation Officers Join El Monte Police Department to Manage Parolees Released Under Realignment Program

In response to the State of California’s prisoner realignment program that resulted in the release of thousands of non-violent convicts to local communities, the El Monte Police Department will have two probation officers on assignment to assist in their supervision.

The Los Angeles County Probation Department has arranged for two probation officers to be assigned to the El Monte Police Department. The collaboration will allow for both departments to work closely in administering the program and keeping parolees in compliance with the terms of their release.

The Post Release Community Supervision program, also known as Assembly Bill 109, was designed to alleviate the overcrowding of the state’s prison system. Under the law, nonviolent, non-sexual and non-serious criminals are sentenced to county jail instead of state prisons, shifting the responsibility of post-release supervision from the state to the communities that they resided in before their incarceration.

The El Monte Police Department has since dedicated a portion of its resources to the monitoring and supervision of its residents who are released under the program.

“I am excited about this collaboration with the L.A. County Probation Department, which will help ensure that there is an efficient and dedicated effort to monitoring these parolees and protecting our community,” El Monte Police Chief Steve Schuster said. “We look forward to having the new officers on board and expect to run this transition as smoothly as possible.”

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