Shut Parole Office Faster, Alhambra Says

A state proposal to move a controversial parole office within nine months, if a suitable site can be found elsewhere, is not satisfactory, according to City Manager Kevin Murphy.

The city, which has hired a real estate firm to help find a new location, wants the parole office closed within four months, Murphy said.

Residents in Alhambra and neighboring Monterey Park have loudly protested the location of the office in a residential area. Police in both cities have said the crime rate in surrounding neighborhoods has jumped.

Alhambra police say the parole office, which opened in May at 1723 W. Garvey Ave., has contributed to an 8% increase in the number of reported crimes in the neighborhood and a 62% hike in felonies, such as burglaries and robberies.

Monterey Park reports a 48% increase in the number of reported crimes in two areas near the parole office.

After hearing residents’ complaints, both cities approached state officials in August and asked that the office be closed. Until it can be relocated, both police forces are beefing up patrols of the area.

The Garvey Avenue office, which serves seven communities from South Pasadena to El Monte, is staffed by 20 parole officers who monitor 1,075 parolees from the southern San Gabriel Valley and parts of Los Angeles.

After meeting with community representatives, state officials offered two weeks ago to move 10 parole officers from the office in 90 days and the remainder within nine months, Murphy said.

But the proposal disappointed Alhambra officials, who suggested instead that the state remove the first parole officers within 30 days and the remainder within 120 days.