L.A.'S IN-AND-OUT JAILS POLICE, PROSECUTORS DECRY BACA'S COST-CUTTING EARLY RELEASE PROGRAM.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

At least 73 inmates released early this year from the Los Angeles County Jail have been rearrested within weeks, in some cases days, on new charges as serious as kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon, according to an LAPD audit obtained by the Daily News.

The three-month Los Angeles Police Department audit completed April 1 has fueled criticism of the controversial Sheriff's Department program under which up to 400 inmates are being released from jail after serving only a fraction of their sentences.

The Daily News reported Sunday on the case of a Burbank woman who allegedly was beaten to death by a man who had been released early on domestic-abuse charges.

The cases identified by the LAPD in its audit included 26 from the San Fernando Valley. The audit showed that many of the inmates released early went on to commit more serious offenses, including carjacking, domestic violence, grand theft and narcotics violations.

``It's alarming,'' said LAPD Cmdr. Michel Moore, the assistant to LAPD Assistant Chief Chief George Gascon. ``It's very discouraging. It undermines the criminal-justice system.''

Much of the blame fell on Sheriff Lee Baca's cost-saving early release program, implemented in the wake of steep budget cuts in 2003.

The concern has prompted police, sheriff's officials and prosecutors to team up to determine a priority system in which they identify the inmates with the highest potential for reoffending.

``We're throwing justice in the garbage can,'' said Deputy District Attorney Steven J. Ipsen, the president of the Deputy District Attorneys Association.

``We're wasting all of the money. We might as well not arrest people or prosecute them, if we cannot punish them properly. This should not be occurring. There's no excuse for it.''

Baca said he had no other alternative as his budget was slashed over $201 million over the past three years, forcing him to cut staff size and close jails.

He has been forced to keep the daily inmate population at 17,500, causing the early releases of up to 400 inmates every day. In many cases the inmates serve only 10 percent of their time.

Baca said he saved $5.5 million in fiscal 2003-04 with the program. Crimes that qualify for early release include burglary, grand theft auto, domestic violence, narcotics offenses and drunken driving.

Each case is scrutinized upon booking into the jail. Officials take into consideration the suspect's criminal history, booking charges and convictions, among other things.

To help bolster law enforcement budgets, Baca has authored a half-cent sales-tax measure for the November ballot that would raise $500 million a year for more officers. Additionally, he is co-sponsoring with Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas a plan that would put slot machines in Indian gaming casinos to generate revenue for law enforcement.

``The circumstances are intolerable,'' said Baca. ``Punishment doesn't mean anything at the county jail level. It's all part of this difficult place that the county is in. We know this. We don't like it. It runs against our grain. It turns our stomachs.''

Baca has been talking with LAPD brass and other police agencies across the county to come up with a fix. LAPD Chief William Bratton and his commanders have begun identifying people they consider to be the most likely to commit a new offense. They have begun talks to set up a system to ``red flag'' the more serious offenders so they don't get released early.

``It's a step in the right direction,'' said Deputy Chief Ronald Bergmann, the Valley Bureau commander. ``This represents the problems we are experiencing in trying to go after the worst of the worst. We're doing everything we can to catch these people who end up back on the street after they're sentenced, in some cases.

``It makes it extremely difficult for us to make much of a dent in our serious crime.''

Gascon hopes to develop a notification system so police are alerted when someone is released from jail into a community, and he hopes to get more inmates into rehab programs.

``Hopefully we can provide the opportunity to fix the problem so that the inmate does not become a repeat offender,'' he said.

City Councilman Dennis Zine, a former LAPD sergeant, called it a merry-go-round justice system.

``We're spending millions of dollars in the criminal-justice system,'' he said. ``What are we accomplishing?''

Jason Kandel, [phone]

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com

INMATES REARRESTED

The Los Angeles Police Department conducted a three-month study of inmates who were released early from county jails and later arrested on suspicion of committing other crimes. Those arrested in the San Fernando Valley during the first quarter of 2004 include:

--Gilbert Aguirre: Arrested Nov. 5, 1997, for weapons possession and domestic violence and served six years of 8 1/3-year sentence. Arrested Jan 2, 2004, on suspicion of robbery.

--Ryan Amirant: Arrested Jan. 27, 2004, for grand theft and released Jan. 29, prior to arraignment. Arrested Feb. 11 on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, and released on bail. Arrested Feb. 23 on suspicion of grand theft.

--Larry Camden: Sentenced June 24, 2003, to a year in jail for grand theft. Arrested Jan. 16, 2004, on suspicion of petty theft.

--Thomas Duran: Arrested March 23, 2003, for narcotics and served 97 days of one-year sentence. Arrested Feb. 10, 2004, on suspicion of kidnapping.

--Rick Dworniczak: Arrested May 19, 2003, for violating probation on a narcotics conviction, and served five months of 8-month sentence. Arrested Feb. 20, 2004, on suspicion of kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon.

--Bradley Griffin: Sentenced Sept. 10, 2003, to 33 days in jail for petty theft. Arrested Sept. 18, again in connection with petty theft, and sentenced Oct. 29 to 240 days in jail. Arrested Jan. 16 on suspicion of commercial burglary.

--Jose Herrera: Sentenced Sept. 3, 2003, to 90 days in jail for possession of a controlled substance. Arrested Sept. 23 for driving a vehicle without the owner's consent and sentenced Oct. 9 to 270 days in jail. Arrested Jan. 21 on suspicion of grand theft auto.

--Keith Jones: Arrested Jan. 29, 2003, for grand theft and served five days of 180-day sentence. Arrested Feb. 18, 2004, on suspicion of burglary, narcotics, grand theft auto.

--Darren Moore: Arrested June 30, 2003, and served half of one-year sentence for grand-theft auto. Arrested Dec. 26, 2003, on suspicion of carjacking.

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INMATES REARRESTED (see text)