Greetings, 

One of the most important responsibilities of local government is to ensure a well-funded, well-functioning public safety and criminal justice system.  In 1992, the elected and appointed county justice officials launched the Criminal Justice Policy Committee (CJPC) to seek continual improvements to the functioning and results of the criminal justice system. 

 In 2014, the CJPC conducted a comprehensive study of its criminal justice system which led to the Placer County’s Criminal Justice Master Plan.  This collaborative effort was undertaken after all 58 California counties concluded the third year of implementing AB 109, Public Safety Realignment.  This sweeping state legislation transferred responsibility for lower-level felons from state prison and parole systems to county jail and probation systems. Realignment was in response to federal court decisions requiring California to reduce prison overcrowding. One of the central tenets of Realignment was the belief that local jurisdictions can be more effective than the state in their treatment of lower-level offenders and in reducing high rates of parolees returning to prison after parole revocations. David Bennett Consulting was hired in 2014 to work with county officials to review best-practices, collect system data, and to develop the Master Plan. Bennett’s 251-page report documented Placer County’s effective implementation of Realignment, and noted the collaboratively developed system priorities that would ensure Placer County continues to provide a high-functioning criminal justice system.  One of the most notable results from the study was the development of the Probation Re-Entry Program (PREP), which provides in-custody and out-of-custody programs tailored to the specific needs of the individual clients to ensure their successful reintegration following incarceration.  To date, PREP has graduated over 611 clients who have successfully completed all programs:   requirements. https://www.placer.ca.gov/7417/Placer-Re-Entry-Program-PREP

Achieving these types of results requires partnership and collaboration among all our criminal justice elected and appointed officials. Placer County’s public safety officials have a strong history of working together to find new and effective approaches such as PREP to ensure the health and safety of our residents.  The recent addition of two new elected public safety officials continues to build on that history. Last Tuesday, July 26, Sheriff Wayne Woo, was sworn into office. In April 2020, District Attorney Morgan Gire was sworn into office.  These individuals represent a new and exciting chapter in the continued collaborative approach of our criminal justice officials, and I am honored to serve as the Chair of the Criminal Justice Policy Committee.

Be Safe!