State investigating whether parole agency failed Jaycee Dugard

California's inspector general is reviewing whether lapses in the state's parole system allowed Jaycee Dugard's alleged kidnapper to go undetected for 18 years, a spokeswoman said.

Phillip Garrido is accused of snatching Dugard when she was 11 from outside her South Lake Tahoe home. Since his arrest, officials have revealed he was being monitored by the state parole system for years and had at least five parole officers.

Some have questioned why none of the parole officers discovered the backyard prison where Garrido allegedly kept Dugard at his home in Antioch.

“We all are shaking our heads, saying the same thing: 'How did this happen?”'  Laura Hill, spokeswoman for Inspector General David Shaw, told the Orange County Register.

Garrido is charged with kidnapping Dugard outside her South Lake Tahoe home in 1991, when she was 11. She resurfaced last month, along with two daughters allegedly fathered by Garrido.

"We're not so much focused about what one parole officer did wrong, but what went wrong," Hill told the Associated Press.

-- Shelby Grad

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Hawaiian Gardens man arrested in post-Lakers championship violence 

Navy midshipman sentenced for drug smuggling

Water main ruptures in Long Beach [Updated]

Morning Scoop: freeway glide, Neverland rides, Lopez on Polanski

Comments

[Baffled Observer]

How many parolees was each officer supposed to be supervising? If the officers were so overloaded that they couldn't do a thorough job, why is that?

And of course, if they had reasonable workloads and didn't do a good job, why is that?

[Mark Godfrey]

How did this happen?

Easy, the authorities are a lot more concerned with chasing around that bad ole' marijuana plant than actually solving crimes.

It could have been predicted because that's how the Government prioritizes it's resources.

[Tony]

Another case of the government hiring the inept. What else is new?

[Richard A.]

This happens all the time I'm sure. State Parole Officers are not fulfilling their responsibilities. How difficult is it to conduct research on property lines and conduct a thorough search? People are even asking, " How did the neighbors not see that from their backyards?" The neighbors are not to blame here. The Parole Department failed. What's the purpose of an investigation? It's clear. Failed.

[Trust]

Don't blanket all parole officers by this, there are many that take public safety and trust very seriously. Its the ones that often try to buddy buddy with the caseloads that slack off until something puts it into the spotlight.

case management has to be taken seriously, prioritized, and properly allocated to officers that are experienced and no nonsense, because at the end of the day, civilian lives hang in the balance.

[Timothy]

Mark Godfrey's comment hit the nail on the head. State law enforcement priorities are completely upside down.

[Steve]

So who's going to perform the investigation. Another government agency? Look how well the SEC responded to Markopolos' claims that Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme. Look at the cop who originally responded to the Caylee Anthony complaint, and didn't do his job because he was afraid of a snake. the government likes to create these huge beauracracies, and fill the positions with friends, relatives and contributors. None of these people are qualified, none of them care about doing their jobs, and they just pass the buck along.
So, is the parole board going to investigate themselves? I can just see the result of that investigation: We did everything we could, we never do anything wrong.

[Bill Dunlop]

Parole agents hands are tied with large caseloads and Department policies and monthly specifications they have to meet. Additionally, several other agencies responded to the house and never observed anything. The parolee was on GPS monitoring system and never had any conditions stating he could not be around minors. So even if he saw the young girls it was not a violation. The real crime is how did Garidio only serve 11 years of a 50 year sentence. What a joke. California was also doing Neveda a courtesy by supervisiong this guy for over 10 years. People have to understand the majority of these parolees live in horrible conditions and dirty houses and code enforcement will not do a thing about it. The fire department was at that home on several occasions and never reported anything. Why didn't the neighbors stand up and say anything. We cannot live our lives hoping the police will solve everything. The police only respond to emergencies and gather information from informants and the PUBLIC. How do you think crimes are solved. Wake up armerica and fight back.