Gaines Speaks on Dugard Case

(R-Roseville) and El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson today held a joint community discussion to review deficiencies in state law and identify potential legislative solutions to prevent tragedies – like the Jaycee Lee Dugard case –from ever occurring again.

“As a father of six and legislator tasked with protecting Californians, I want tight control of society’s most violent felons,” said Gaines.  “Let’s make them earn their way back into society, not give them their freedom as a gift.”

The community discussion included a walk-through of Pierson’s recently released report that highlighted the top five mistakes made by law enforcement in monitoring and tracking Phillip Garrido. The presentation set the stage for why the rules for evaluating parole of serious offenders need to be changed.

“Law enforcement at state, federal and local levels failed to see Phillip Garrido for what and who he truly is – a very dangerous sexual predator and master manipulator,” said Pierson.  “He was considered a model parolee up until the day he was arrested in 2009. For this dangerous group of prisoners, parole needs to be the exception, not the rule.”

In addition to Gaines and Pierson, the panel was made up of Chief Judge James Ware from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, who conducted a report released in July reviewing Phillip Garrido’s federal parole; Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, who also serves as the Chair of the California State Sex Offender Management Board; Lee Seale, Director of the Division of Internal Oversight & Research with the California Department Corrections & Rehabilitation; Harriet Salarno, Chair, and Laura Strasser, Legal Counsel, with Crime Victims United of California; and Phillip Ung, a Policy Advocate with California Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

“We had a diverse panel of experts speaking from different perspectives, but one thing everyone could agree on was that our public safety system has serious problems that put dangerous criminals on our streets and put Californians at great risk,” said Gaines.

Gaines and Pierson said they plan to take all of the recommendations and information provided during the discussion and determine the next steps for bipartisan legislative action that would change the rules for evaluating parole of serious offenders.

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Submitted by Betsey Hodges

Sen. Ted Gaines represents the 1st Senate District, which includes all or parts of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento and Sierra counties.