Higher Bail for Stalkers

The ghost of Vicki Shade demands that Ventura County’s criminal justice system change the way it copes with domestic violence. Every possible step must be taken to prevent women like Shade from being harassed, stalked and, in this nightmare-come-true case, murdered by a violent husband or boyfriend.

Shade, a 37-year-old Ventura hairstylist and mother of three, was stabbed to death last month by her former boyfriend, Roland Sheehan. He had walked out of jail after posting $20,000 bail on charges of stalking and making terrorist threats. Sheehan then broke into Shade’s house, held her hostage for nine hours and finally stabbed her to death with a butcher knife as SWAT officers rushed into the room. Police shot and killed Sheehan when he lunged at them with the knife.

Several policy changes could increase the odds against similar tragedies in the future:

* Higher bail for stalkers: In Los Angeles and other area counties, the charges for which Sheehan posted bond carry an automatic $150,000 bail--making it less likely that a person making violent threats will get loose to carry them out.

* Better record keeping: Sheehan had an extensive criminal past that included murder charges, armed robbery and sexual assault. Yet local prosecutors say they weren’t aware of that record because for years he had used a string of aliases.

Action to address these problems is already underway. A committee of judges will soon conduct its annual review of Ventura County’s bail schedule. In memory of Vicki Shade, the county’s uncommonly low bail in such cases should be raised to match the level of surrounding counties.

In an article for next week’s Ventura County Perspective page, Sheriff Bob Brooks describes how law enforcement leaders are developing a criminal justice information system that will bring together all local law enforcement agencies, courts, jails, probation, district attorney and public defender offices to improve the exchange of information. This is a good step, but investigators must diligently use existing technology to be sure they are getting every available scrap of information.

Sheriff Brooks also describes progress toward a countywide protocol to guide officers in dealing with the severely mentally ill. Such a protocol might have helped the confrontation with Sheehan end differently.

These changes will come too late for Vicki Shade but perhaps in time to save others from her terrifying fate. As long as domestic disputes threaten to turn violent, we need to keep improving public policies to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep the peace.