Safe Neighborhoods Act
Protect Victims, Stop Gang and Street Crime
This comprehensive act enhances public safety by providing sustainable law enforcement funding and targeting criminal street gangs, felons with guns, and drug dealers with focused penalties. It also increases public information and accountability as well as oversight of deterrence and rehabilitation programs.
Oversight, Accountability and Public Education:
· Early Intervention, Rehabilitation, and Accountability Commission (9 members): Established to evaluate, recommend, and monitor early intervention and rehabilitation programs with emphasis on public accountability, disclosure, and dispassionate assessment of what works.
· Authorizes $15 million in annual funding for the purpose of public safety education and disclosure including public service announcements to deter crime and educate the public.
Victim Protection:
· Post Valdivia parole revocation procedures.
· Codification of the Robin Reagan parolee misconduct reporting standards.
· Independent Board of Parole Hearings.
· Amends the authorization for scheduling murderer parole hearings so that denial of parole can be followed by a subsequent hearing in one, to as many as fifteen years.
· Authorizes admission of sworn statements by witnesses to gang crimes who die or are unavailable to testify at the time of prosecution because of flight or intimidation.
· $10 million to the Department of Justice to support the Witness Protection Program.
· $10 million for reimbursements of rewards paid for information leading to arrest or conviction of criminal offenders.
Release of Dangerous Felons:
· Prohibits bail for violent felonies or gang violations if defendant is in US illegally.
· Requires judicial hearing before a person charged with a serious felony may be released OR.
County Jails - Temporary Housing:
· Authorizes counties under a court-ordered cap on jail population, to use emergency jail facilities that meet residential occupancy standards. Requires approval of county Sheriff and Board of Supervisors.
Targeted Enforcement:
This act addresses several statutory changes rejected by the Legislature this year or in prior years.
· Amends 10-20-Life to penalize not only offenders who personally use firearms in the commission of certain felonies but their accomplices as well.
· Adds 10 year sentence to dangerous felons who carry loaded or concealed firearms in public places.
· Enhances penalties for individuals providing contraband to gang members in prison.
· Amends STEP Act to impose a 10 year penalty enhancement on all gang offenders who commit violent felonies, including those with indeterminate sentences.
· Requires convicted gang offenders to register with local law enforcement each year for five years following conviction or their release from custody.
· Increases penalties for possession, possession for sale, and sale of methamphetamine to the same level as those for cocaine.
· Streamlines civil gang injunction process and increases penalties for violations.
· Increases penalties for multiple acts of graffiti.
· Requires that offenders previously convicted of car theft or joy riding be subject to a felony penalty for any subsequent car theft or joy riding offense.
· Use a gun and lose a car – when gun is in car and registered owner is involved.
· Increases penalties for gang recruitment and accessories to gang crimes.
$250 million Safe Neighborhood Funding:
· Matching funds for law enforcement-run after school programs and parolee mentoring for reentry.
· GPS tracking equipment intended for monitoring gang offenders, sex offenders, and violent offenders.
· Funding for county sheriffs for jails and gang enforcement.
· Enhanced city police enforcement targeting gangs and violent crime.
· Additional district attorney resources and city attorneys for violent gang vertical prosecution programs.
· Multi-agency gang taskforces and gang enforcement training for peace officers.
· Resources to county probation targeting high-risk probationers with weapons and caseload ratios.
· Multi-agency narcotic taskforces with an emphasis on border interdiction.
Stabilizes Existing Law Enforcement Funding:
· COPS – Made permanent and increased from current $119 to $125 million.
· Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention - Made permanent and increased from current $119 to $125 million.
· Other critical law enforcement programs.
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