This editorial appeared in The Modesto Bee.
We didn't need another wake-up call about how California's prison system is failing us, or that the supervision of parolees is almost impossible because of massive caseloads carried by parole officers.
But we got one anyway with last weekend's murder of four Oakland police officers by a parolee.
We can only hope the tragedy prompts the governor and lawmakers to work on a solution that reaches beyond their usual press-release rhetoric.
The politicians are good at issuing statements, but there's seldom any follow-through when it comes to fixing a prison/parole system that is badly broken. They owe it to the Oakland officers who lost their lives after recently paroled Lovelle Mixon went on a murder spree.
The four officers – Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans, Daniel Sakai and John Hege – were veterans of the department. All were married, and all leave behind children.
To read the complete editorial, visit The Modesto Bee.
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