SJPD Sgt slams CA’s zero bail policy as cogent element in catch-and-release debate

To address rising local crime, SJ Mayor Liccardo and councilmembers Carrasco and Mahan’s recent memorandum identifies key components of the issue and ways for governance to promote public safety. Mahan has also prioritized championing this cause in his 2022 mayoral campaign. Opp Now spoke with SJPD Sergeant Christian Camarillo on the dangers of catch-and-release policing, particularly when coupled with statewide zero bail. His comments below.

An important factor in catch-and-release is our state’s zero bail policy. The state of California decided to remove bail entirely so that poor residents aren’t arrested and held without means to bail. However, it’s dangerous to put certain people back on the streets with zero bail.

What we often see locally is felons getting arrested and going to jail because of drug or gun possession, but then are released from jail before police officers have completed their report. Recently, two suspects were arrested in San Jose for home invasion. A day later, one of them got into a pursuit with officers and was arrested for evading. This suspect was set free the following day (and meanwhile, police were still investigating the invasion) to commit another home invasion soon after. That’s just one example of a problematic pattern.

We don’t want these criminals going back out into the community and reoffending like that suspect did. We want them to be held accountable and assigned the necessary bail.

Right now, I think we’re seeing the pendulum begin to swing in the other direction. For instance, the county of Los Angeles has gone back towards pre-COVID bail schedules, whereas during the pandemic, people who normally would be held were being released. This is a good thing.

Furthermore, I think a common misconception is that catch-and-release procedures point back to the District Attorney. People frequently blame DAs because of other DAs’ scandals (e.g., San Francisco recalled their DA earlier this summer). But in the Santa Clara County, we don’t have that issue. The SJPD has a great working relationship with our DA. We often partner together on high-profile investigations to ensure that those who need to be held in jail are held. When criminals are released on zero bail, that’s due to local judges’ decisions and our existing state law, not the DA.

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This article is part of an exclusive Opp Now series.