Gregory D.

Lee

Read Greg's bio and previous columns here

April 3, 2009

It’s Time to End State Parole

The recent funeral of four Oakland, California police officers murdered by a state parolee puts the spotlight on state parole, and why this practice should end. Jerry Brown, the former governor, former Oakland mayor and current California Attorney General said that the incident “is bad because he's a state ward, he's a state parolee, they let him out. There are hundreds of shooters walking around the East Bay. Our parole system isn't working.''

How right he is.

On March 21, not one, but five Oakland police officers were shot, four of whom were killed in two connected violent incidents after police conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by a wanted parolee. Imagine being at your workplace and having four of your co-workers murdered.   

When the police stopped Lovelle Mixon’s car, he assumed they knew he was wanted for a parole violation. Armed with a handgun, he killed two of Oakland’s finest and then escaped on foot.

Two agonizing hours later, a tip led the Oakland Police, California Highway Patrol and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department to Mixon’s whereabouts. The Oakland Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team arrived at the residence to take care of business. But they didn’t count on things going south so fast. Somehow, Mixon was able to kill two of the SWAT team members and wound another with an assault rifle. One died at the scene, and the other relied on life support a few days until his donated organs could be harvested. A fifth officer was shot, but fortunately survived. This incident was the second time in California law enforcement history that four officers were murdered in the line of duty during the same event.

The Oakland Tribune wrote, “No one could remember when four officers were shot in the line of duty on the same day.” Well, I do.  

In 1970 when I was in high school at age 17, there was a new program called “Law Enforcement Explorers” that police and sheriff’s departments sponsored to give young men and women a glimpse at the profession. I was attending a modified, multiple-weekend Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy that was staffed by dedicated deputy volunteers, when the Newhall, California incident occurred. “Newhall” is now called Valencia, and is just outside the entryway of Six Flags “Magic Mountain,” long before the amusement park existed. The violent incident, in which four California Highway Patrolmen were killed, changed the way law enforcement did business. Tactics suddenly became important, and how to survive on the street during a tour of duty was now very important. What a shame that these four family men had to die to push this agenda forward. But the lessons learned from this event have saved untold law enforcement officers lives, probably including mine.

Parole is the early release from prison of a convicted felon to spend the balance of his term “on the street” instead of behind bars where he belongs. “Probation” is doing community service or some other thing other than going to the local county jail for misdemeanor offences. If there was no such thing as state parole, these officers would be alive today.

Literally thousands of tragic incidents have occurred in which state parolees have killed or otherwise victimized someone because they reverted back to their default posture – commit crime and survive at any cost in the concrete jungle.

You need to understand that despite the best efforts of society, people who choose to live criminal lives are always going to be involved in crime. No amount of rehabilitation, counseling, money or education will change these people. What you end up with is a rich, well-counseled and well-educated criminal.

People convicted of any felony must stay behind bars as long as the law allows. The reason crime has dropped in recent years is because criminals are in prison significantly longer, thus denying them the opportunity to commit additional crimes.

Make state parole a thing of the past to further reduce unnecessary, violent crime.

God bless those five officers and their families.

Gregory D. Lee is a retired DEA Supervisory Special Agent and a syndicated columnist for North Star Writers Group. He can be reached through his web site: www.gregorydlee.com. 

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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