Repeat offenders increase in the Northstate, law enforcement works to combat the issue

REDDING, Calif. — Matthew Luke is a known narcotics trafficker who was arrested by Redding police this week and then released from the jail seven hours later. This is his third arrest in three months.

Local law enforcement say they are trying to keep people like Luke off the streets but a broken system is making that difficult.

Redding Police Lieutenant Timothy Renault shared his frustration about repeatedly dealing with offenders, like Luke, who are continuously arrested and then released hours or a few days later. Renault said this is just one of many cases like it.

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“I think, definitely, it’s been increasing," Renault said. "We actually have lists of names of people we’re seeing eight, nine, ten times in a short period of time. Obviously, that’s frustrating to us at the police department just like it is for the community.”

The Shasta County Jail closed one of its floors last year, taking a third of the population out of the jail. So when someone needs to be released because of lack of space, that is a tough decision to be made.

“When we bring someone into custody, the correctional officers are literally trying to figure out each day, 'do I keep this person and release this person?'" Renault said, "It’s a balancing act.”

Renault acknowledges the public’s frustration with the release of offenders but he said state-level decisions trickle down and impact our local correctional facilities.

“Some of the frustrating things is that some of the laws that were passed about releasing people from prisons, changing crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, some of the closures to the state prisons,"Renault said. "All of that is impacting us.”

Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson said reopening the closed level of the jail remains a high priority for them.

"The floor will reopen as soon as practical," Johnson said. "We continue to aggressively recruit qualified staff to fill open positions and we are seeing positive gains in our staffing numbers. The Sheriff’s Office also continues to work with the Board of Supervisors on long-term solutions including the potential addition of six Public Safety Service Officer positions, and the planning process for the expansion of the jail is progressing."

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He also said they will be swearing in three Correctional Deputies on Monday. Renault said every agency is working to address this problem locally.

“I know the DA’s office is doing their best, the sheriff’s office is trying to hire good people,"Renault said. "So it’s an effort that we’re all facing together and we all have some frustrations with it.”

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