Early Inmate Releases Frustrate the Police

Overcrowding at San Joaquin County Jail has led to an early release program for nonviolent inmates that is frustrating local police.

Officers said they catch a crook and see him on the street days later.

Last year, the jail released 3,716 inmates before they had completed their sentences -- a 51% increase over 2002.

Meanwhile, auto thefts and car burglaries are rising in the Stockton-Lodi metropolitan area, which has the nation’s fourth-highest vehicle-theft rate.

Police said many of these crimes were committed by people who had been arrested and then set free.