The Lake County Law Enforcement Chiefs Association is a group of the law enforcement department heads within Lake County who, among other priorities, work together to share information, improve the training and safety for our local peace officers and improve law enforcement service to the people of our communities.

We are urging the public to be aware of the fine details of Proposition 57 and vote no on it because we don’t believe it will lead to safer communities here or anywhere else in California.

Proposition 57 would lead to the early release of dangerous offenders and reduce the incarceration time of career criminals including drug dealers and gang members.

We understand the intent of Proposition 57 is to reduce prison overcrowding; however this proposition includes drastic changes to our parole system that will release thousands of dangerous felons into California communities while our state is already experiencing a spike in crime. This will only further erode public safety.

Measures have already been taken to drastically reduce the number of state prison inmates per a federal court mandate.

These measures started back in 2011 with Assembly Bill 109 – Criminal Justice Realignment which placed persons convicted and sentenced to prison terms, for many felony crimes in California, in county jails rather than in state prisons.

Then in 2014, with the voter passed Proposition 47, numerous felony crimes were reduced to misdemeanors which have contributed to career criminals continuing to commit crimes in our communities with few consequences.

Proposition 57 claims to apply only to non-violent offenders and we believe its definition of non-violent is in contrast to the public’s idea of non-violent.

The term “Non-violent felony offense” is not defined in the proposition or elsewhere in California law. Penal Code Section 667.5(C) defines “Violent felonies” and includes about 23 crimes. Crimes defined as “Serious felonies” are covered under Penal Code section 1192.7(c). Crimes covered here are not referred to as violent under California law, but they are in fact violent in nature.

These crimes, to name a few, include participation in a criminal street gang and various felonies committed for gang purposes, battery with infliction of serious bodily injury, throwing acid or flammable substances, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, discharging a firearm at an occupied dwelling, rape where the victim is legally incapable of giving consent, by intoxicating substance, or where the victim is unconscious, arson of a structure or forest land, grand theft of a firearm, exploding a destructive device with intent to injure, taking a hostage, soliciting another to commit murder, corporal punishment or injury on a child resulting in a traumatic condition, domestic violence and false imprisonment of an elder or dependent adult by violence, menace, fraud or deceit.

Persons serving prison time for these types of crimes are the ones who will benefit from this proposition if it passes.

We believe victims' rights and other previous public safety initiatives would be weakened by Proposition 57 including Marsy’s Law and the Three Strikes law.

Before voting we ask that you consider the thoughts of your local law enforcement leaders as well as many other law enforcement and prosecutor groups in California.

Brad Rasmussen is chairman of the Lake County Law Enforcement Chiefs Association and the police chief for Lakeport, Calif.