New Alert System Aids Crime Victims

Victims of rape, stalking and domestic violence who still fear for their safety are being alerted by a new automated telephone notification system when their attackers are released from jail, Los Angeles County officials said Tuesday.

About 115 victims have registered with the Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) program, a computer database that tracks the status of county inmates, since the system went on line at the end of January, said Sheriff Lee Baca. Eight automated notifications have been made so far.

Officials began working on the system after a 16-year-old pregnant Rowland Heights girl was killed by her husband in April 1996 when he was released after serving only five days of a spousal abuse conviction.

Baca said he hopes battered women and other victims will use the program to help protect themselves.

“There are literally thousands of victims of violent crime throughout Los Angeles County who live in fear that the perpetrator . . . will be released from jail,” the sheriff said. “This is another tool in the arsenal of self-defense for the public and law enforcement.”

The program, which costs $300,000 a year, allows victims to call a toll-free number and obtain information about court appearances, parole hearings and custody changes.

The most distinctive feature of the program is a proactive notification system. Several days before an inmate is to be released, VINE will automatically dial victims who have registered with the system.

The program’s computers will keep calling every 30 minutes for 24 hours until the victim is reached. Victims also will be notified within 15 minutes of a sudden change in an inmate’s status.

Those who receive notification and are concerned about their safety should immediately call a domestic violence shelter or contact their local law enforcement agency, officials said.

“This is going a long way to protect victims of domestic violence,” said Supervisor Gloria Molina.

It was Molina who authored a motion in 1996 asking the Sheriff’s Department to create a countywide victim notification system. It came days after Humberto Huelitl, 22, killed 16-year-old Veronica Daniel and her 2-year-old cousin, then fatally shot himself.

Huelitl had served only five days of a 30-day sentence for beating his wife. Daniel had wanted to move away before her husband got out of jail, but she couldn’t get information about his release date, activists said.

“We felt the system, as well as Humberto, was responsible for these killings,” said attorney Gloria Allred, who helped lobby the Board of Supervisors to start a notification program. “We never want what happened to Veronica to happen to anyone else.”

Sheriff’s deputies and police officers throughout the county are giving victims information about the notification system when they take reports, officials said.

“There is a safety net here,” said Supervisor Don Knabe. “This VINE program is going to literally save lives.”

The system, which is available in English and Spanish, is run by a Louisville, Ky., company that provides similar notification services to hundreds of communities in 31 states.

Although the program was implemented to help victims of domestic violence, anyone who has been the victim of a crime can use it to get information about their assailant, officials said.

Baca said he is also working to ensure that all criminals who commit acts of domestic violence serve their full sentences.

About 10,500 domestic violence reports are filed with the Sheriff’s Department each year, and 70% involve a weapon, he said. In addition, he said he wants to provide anger management courses and other programs for offenders when they are released.

To reach the VINE program, call (877) VINE-4-LA, or (877) 846-3452. To reach the county’s domestic violence hotline, call (800) 978-3600.