Arrests leading to jail bookings are down in El Dorado County during the pandemic

Submitted by paula on Wed, 04/01/2020 - 12:30pm
By Paula Peterson

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Arrests in South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County are down as a result of "Stay at Home" directives from the State, County, and City.

Though exact numbers are not yet available, a look at the daily arrest logs shows a large decrease. County-wide there were three arrests Sunday and five arrests on Monday, when one month ago there were 32 between the same two days of the month, a reduction of 75 percent.

Depending on the circumstance of those found committing a crime, many are issued citations for future court dates instead of their checking into the El Dorado County jails though they are still open for intakes of arrestees.

"In an effort to reduce the number of inmates within El Dorado County Jails, the Sheriff's Office in cooperation with the District Attorney's Office identified sentenced inmates who were due for release within 40 days, or had medical conditions that put them into an increased risk category for COVID-19 and were incarcerated for non-violent crimes," said El Dorado County Sheriff Sgt. Anthony Prencipe. "Thirty inmates were identified as meeting the established criteria and have been released on court order by the El Dorado County Superior Court."

Jail staff has increased screening for COVID-19 during the intake process. Upon arrival at the two jails in South Lake Tahoe and Placerville, medical staff ask pre-screening questions and takes the temperature of the arrestee before they are brought inside. Inside the jail, further medical questions are asked and vitals are taken before the intake is accepted.

"Our partner law enforcement agencies understand the challenges we face during this COVID-19 crisis and have done an outstanding job exercising discretion making physical arrests or issuing citations in the field," said Prencipe.

As a result, more citations (cite and release), on non-violent misdemeanor crimes are being issued. Detectives and investigations are still being completed and we are taking actions as necessary.