Plan to Open Parole Offices Near Youth Club Dropped

The state Department of Corrections has dropped plans to move two parole offices from Lakewood to Figueroa Street in Wilmington after officials discovered the proposed location is about 150 yards from the future site of the Wilmington Boys’ and Girls’ Club.

“Rather than create a community uproar, we would prefer to back away and come at it again and look for a spot that does not have a school or youth facility nearby,” said Robert Bowman, regional parole administrator for the department. “I think that we run a tight enough ship that there is not a problem, but trying to convince parents of that is super difficult.”

Parole officers at the two Lakewood offices, both located in a shopping center on Woodruff Avenue near Lakewood High School, handle about 1,100 convicted felons from the South Bay and Long Beach areas. Lakewood city officials have been trying to get the offices moved since they opened four years ago, saying they are “inappropriate” in the neighborhood, said city spokesman Donald Waldie.

Bowman said the department has lost its lease at the Lakewood shopping center and is looking for a new site. Although the Figureroa Street site is no longer being considered, Bowman said the department has not ruled out moving to a different location in Wilmington or any of the other communities served by the offices.

“There are parolees living in each of the communities and we badly need space for our staff,” he said.

In addition to Lakewood and Wilmington, parolees from Hawaiian Gardens, Signal Hill, Long Beach, Carson, Harbor City, Lomita, San Pedro and parts of Torrance report to parole officers assigned to the Lakewood offices. More than half of the parolees live in Long Beach, so the department would like to find a new location in or near that city, Bowman said.

The parolees, convicted felons who have been released from prison but remain under state supervision, generally do not visit the parole offices routinely, Bowman said. Instead, parole agents, or officers, check up on the parolees at their homes or places of employment, he said.

Parolees must visit the offices when they are first released from prison, and they return periodically for urinalysis testing for drug use, he said. About 45 parolees visit the Lakewood offices daily, he said.

Wilmington residents learned about the proposed move to an empty building at 1505 Figueroa St. last week from Los Angeles Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, who represents the community. Flores and Assemblyman Dave Elder (D-Long Beach), who also represents Wilmington, last week asked the department to look for another location, and both of them turned to the community for support.

Nelson Hernandez, Flores’ Wilmington deputy, said Flores opposed the move because of the proximity to the new Wilmington Boys’ and Girls’ Club, which is being built at Figueroa and Q streets, and to homes.

“We just don’t feel it was compatible with the surrounding area,” he said. “People have a perception that it may cause an increase in crime, and it is not a good environment for children.”

Hernandez said that he “couldn’t think of any location in Wilmington that would be acceptable” to Flores.

Elder, in a letter sent to Wilmington residents on Monday, described the proposed move as the “latest attempt to make Wilmington a ‘dumping ground,’ ” and urged residents to write to Gov. George Deukmejian to ensure that the department does not turn to another site in the community.

“Wilmington is already doing its share by serving as the home community to facilities that many consider undesirable, such as waste treatment plants and the nearby federal correctional facility,” Elder said Tuesday in a prepared statement. “Closing a parole office in Lakewood should not justify locating a replacement office in Wilmington.”

Jo Ann Wysocki, vice president of the Wilmington Home Owners organization, last weekend began circulating a petition against moving the offices to Wilmington. She said she collected 50 signatures in two hours in the neighborhoods near the proposed site.

‘Legitimate Fears’

“People have legitimate fears of what will happen when these people from outside the community come into our community,” Wysocki said. “We are no different from other communities. We don’t want it here.”

But Bowman, the parole administrator, said the state operates 60 parole offices statewide with very few problems. He said that although he understands local opposition to a new parole facility, fears are unfounded, he said.

“People that are going to visit their parole agent, like those visiting a police station, are usually on their best behavior,” Bowman said. “We just don’t have problems within the communities.”

In Lakewood, where residents still complain to the Sheriff’s Department about the Woodruff Avenue offices, statistics show that crime has not been affected by the facility, Sheriff’s Deputy Dale DuBois said.

DuBois said the Lakewood Sheriff’s station compared crime statistics before and after the parole offices opened and found the crime rate remained the same.

“It absolutely has had no effect on us,” he said. “Once they are through here they don’t want to stick around and cause problems because their parole officers are right nearby.”