Little Rock residents are in increased danger of becoming victims of petty theft because of poor monitoring of parolees released from prison early under state legislation that reduced jail time for certain nonviolent offenders, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola emphasized in his State of the City speech Tuesday.
He quoted Little RockPolice Department data that show 76 percent of the 92 people arrested in burglary or auto break-ins in the latter half of last year had previous felony convictions. Combined, the 92 individuals are accused of committing 197 offenses in those six months - accounting for about 20 percent of offenses citywide in the same time, according to the Police Department.
“The police can arrest and rearrest, but if [criminals] are not confined or properly supervised, the system has begun to break down,” Stodola said. “What is wrong with the parole system? Why can’t parole officers keep better track of these career burglars and thieves?”
He urged people to let their legislators know that Act 570 - which passed in 2011 and reduced the time that offenders of certain nonviolent crimes serve in prison - is not benefiting the community and that the parole system needs to be strengthened.
Stodola pointed out that the state Department of Community Correction, which oversees the parole system, asked for funding for 32 new parole officers but not for additional electronic monitoring equipment, which he said could better keep track of parolees. About 2,000 parolees are released in Pulaski County each year, he said.
“If the parole system is not going to keep up with these repeat offenders, there is nothing we can do. The criminals know they can continue to [commit crimes.] The statistics are quite convincing,” he added after his speech.
“It’s startling. It’s a slap in the face,” he said.
In an e-mail Tuesday, spokesman Rhonda Sharp said the Department of Community Correction has no comment, and declined to answer questions about the mayor’s speech, the parole system and Act 570.
The mayor and Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas had met with Community Correction Department officials about their concerns previously, they said.
“A lot of technology can be used to supplement that one-on-one contact that a parole officer has,” Thomas said Tuesday. “From Community Correction’s standpoint, they are understaffed. They don’t see value - at least my impression is - they don’t see value in a broad-based electronic system. They are convinced Act 570 is working. From their prospective, they are satisfied.”
Stodola said he had a similar impression of the department’s stance and that the agency is “into managing numbers and systems.”
Thomas said prison time isn’t enough to correct the mindset of repeat offenders.
“Six months or eight months in the penitentiary system is not going to change or alter most behaviours. You have to have supporting mechanisms. I don’t think Community Corrections really got that,” he said.
To limit the number of repeat offenders, Stodola announced that the city is developing a re-entry program for felons - in collaboration with the Department of Community Correction - that includes employment placement and monitoring. The program will include a re-entry plan developed three to six months before a parolee’s release.
“Having a job and a place to live is critical if we want to reduce these insidious recidivism rates,” Stodola said. “Sadly, the Department of Corrections still gives a parolee the same amount of money upon release as they did 40 years ago - $100 and a pat on the back, urging them to never again commit another crime.”
The city’s already-in-place sidewalk-construction program has taught convicted felons entry-level skills in masonry and concrete finishing. Ten of 150 applicants were selected, which Stodola said shows the demand for such programs.
Crime was again the focus in his State of the City address when Stodola announced that he is preparing an ordinance to present to the city’s Board of Directors that concerns reducing crime at multifamily-housing developments. He again discussed data provided by the Police Department.
“Some complexes with as many as 384 units only requested police assistance 15 times in a year. Now this is in contrast to an apartment complex with 224 units that requested police assistance 526 times during the same time frame - there were several in that category,” Stodola said.
Other parts of his address focused on the city’s accomplishments in the past year - including the creation of 538 private-sector jobs - and goals in the coming year.
A reduction and extension of a tax millage approved in 2012 will generate $105 million in revenue, he said. Thatadded to $72 million already dedicated to improve streets and drainage for a total of $177 million for such work over the next 10 years, something Stodola noted had never before been accomplished in the city. He had asked for the millage extension in last year’s State of the City address.
He boasted about $60 million in private-sector funds being spent to redevelop Main Street, including renovation to the First Exchange Bank Building, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the K-Lofts and the Mann on Main Project.
Soon a compressed-natural-gas station will be installed at Sixth Street and Interstate 30, Stodola said. It will fuel the city’s 16 compressed-natural-gas trucks and also will be open to the public. By 2014, 20 percent of the city’s fleet of vehicles will be fueled with compressed natural gas, he said.
Construction of four soccer fields on Arkansas 300 also will begin this spring, and a new dog park at MacArthur Park will be dedicated this weekend.
“Little Rock is truly positioned to be, as I am fond of saying, to be the next great American city in the South,” Stodola said.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 03/27/2013