When the police fail: more on the Dugard case
Word is that there were multiple and repeated failures of the law enforcement system in the Dugard case: police investigation, parole officers, prison system.
It turns out the Garrido was given a fifty year sentence for his earlier sex crimes but was inexplicably let out after only ten years. It turns out he was wearing an ankle bracelet for monitoring—but it seems to have done little good. It turns out he still had in his possession a car that matched the description of the abductor’s car given eighteen years ago by Jaycee’s stepfather. It turns out neighbors did complain to police that something shady was going on at the Garrido house, including the keeping of girls in tents in the yard, but the officer who came to investigate did not go beyond the front porch of the home.
And all this despite the fact that the man involved was a convicted sex offender of a serious and violent type. It’s enough to make your blood boil. A spokesperson says:
“We missed an opportunity to bring earlier closure to this situation,” Contra Costa County Sheriff Warren E. Rupf said. “I cannot change the course of events but we are beating ourselves up over this and continue to do so.”
“We should have been more inquisitive, more curious and turned over a rock or two.”
I wonder why they weren’t, actually. Police are ordinarily pretty keen on catching child rapists.
The police are keen on catching child rapists when the trail is warm.
Otherwise, I imagine they get a huge number of false alarms and monitoring calls that they just tune out over time.
Not that I wish to defend them, but that’s how I understand it.
I agree with Huxley, but want to add that for the policeman to have gone beyond the front porch he would have needed a) an indication that somebody was in danger, ie a scream; b) an invitation; or c) a warrant.
Based on the man’s past record and neighbor complaints specifically about the back yard, a warrant would probably have been issued.
But, like Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and many other things when information is sporadic or received/given by several sources, it’s hard to put it all together because no one person has all the information at the right time.
IOW, hindsight is 20/20.
There is something really weird about this.
Who did this guy know?
Who was he related to?
One complaint? OK. More than one, with his history, and one of them about “girls?” The cops should have been all over that place.
Then again, if the parents of Robert Piest had not made general nuisances of themselves and blanket the neighborhood with posters John Gacy would still be accumulating skeletons in his crawl space.
Yea, cops!
If you are on Parole do the police need a warrant? Or if there is someone else living there do their rights protect the guy on parole? how long was this guys parole in effect for?
My cousin was murdered. The police were decent people, and they gave what they believed was decent effort, and they truly felt for us, and wanted to find the bad guy. However, their “decent effort” was not enough. Her murderer was only caught b/c he killed again, and b/c my aunt kept on top of the police and would not let them rest without consistently answering to her. Finally, police put clues together and determined the identity of the killer. And KUDOS to them for doing so. We are grateful.
Off topic: she was killed in a liberal state which I will not identify. Her murderer was convicted in two separate trials: of conspiracy to commit murder (in the second death), and of the murder of my cousin. In a third trial, my cousin’s murderer was acquitted of the second murder.
He got a long sentence, but he served 19 years and is today a free man. It turns out that bleeding hearts gravitate towards and actively seek out spots on that state’s 3 person parole board. The murderer was paroled on a 2-1 vote, the yea’s being cast by a weak willed board member, and by a dominant super-liberal bleeding heart board member who sees it as her mission in life to free wrongfully convicted people. That board member justified her vote to my aunt thusly: “I don’t believe xxxxx could have committed that murder.” True story.
Now I’m wondering if they should be looking for bodies in that back yard, too, since it was “girls” plural.
Holy frell, how did THAT get through for someone with THAT background……
I think typically one is now eligible for parole in CA after 1/3 of the sentence is served. 10 years seems really quick, but I don’t know when the conviction happened, etc., etc. I don’t know what the rules or practices are for how long parole lasts.
gcotharn,
I am horrified at what your aunt has had to endure. The parole board member that presumed to overturn a jury’s verdict has clearly overstepped her charge and should be removed from her post immediatley.
Liberal ideologues consistently overlook even basic justice for women and children.
Neo- “I wonder why they weren’t [more inquisitive,], actually.”
I think the answer can be found in the statement itself — ““We missed an opportunity to bring earlier closure to this situation,” Contra Costa County Sheriff Warren E. Rupf said.”
People who blather on about “closure” tend to be more concerned with appearances than with realities.
In being kind (compassionate) to this violent sexual predator, the “state” has become cruel to the average citizen–the victims in this terrible tragedy. There are likely many more unknown victims at this point. How many times have we heard about repeat offenders? I advocate the death penalty or never releasing sickos like this–ever.
You know most of these so called “police/ parole officers” always have a chip on their shoulders, and even when they fail to do their jobs they appear arrogant like saying “what are you going to do”, let’s face it, she saved herself, she was not saved by the authorities. Does anyone believe that the authorities were still investigating her disappearance? The car used in her kidnapping was in the backyard, the lazy ass cops didn’t even bother to go through the backyard when the information indicated that kids were living back there, they didn’t check local schools to see if the kids were going to school or even asked to see the kids, no report to child protective services, boy how lazy can you be and still pick up your public service check, not to mention the parole officers who failed to visit and find out where this freak was living and what he was doing, amazing, simply amazing.
Word is now that this creep was also — a SERIAL KILLER.
They’re investigating the creep in connection with the deaths of TEN other women.
“When seconds count, the police are only decades away.”