We lost a beloved neighbor to a brutal and senseless death on September 3rd. The vigil honoring Katie Tibbitts and her dogs occurred the evening of September 9th. It was attended by several hundred neighbors at Plaza Cervantes Park. Family and friends came to share their stories about Katie’s heart and tireless work with the SPCA. Those of us who knew her were truly blessed. Those who didn’t know Katie will never be graced with the opportunity to meet her. After months of hot, dry days the clouds opened up and fat raindrops kissed our cheeks. People raised their hands and smiled believing Katie and her pups were there to say “goodbye.”
This ceremony was designed to focus on the wonderful person Katie was. People respectfully honored this. After, many had questions about how this could happen? The LPCA is helping to support with those next steps. We are relieved the murderer has been taken into custody and off of our streets. We are sad to say this could have been prevented.
In this particular case, because of the emergency bell schedule that is still in effect the alleged murder was cited and released. As stated by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office:
In April 2020, the California Judicial Council adopted an emergency zero bail schedule in response to Covid-19. This emergency bail schedule authorized zero bail for all misdemeanor crimes as well as a multitude of felony crimes. Zero bail means that the individual is released without posting any bail and is released on his/her own recognizance (OR) without any supervision or conditions of release. The Judicial Council rescinded this order in June 2020 but urged local courts to continue these emergency measures.
To understand more, read the full press release issued by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office: https://www.sacda.org/2021/09/public-information-on-zero-bail/
Public safety is the essential duty of our city, county and state leaders. Right now neighbors are concerned and rightfully so. A dangerous felon was allowed to wander our community with no warning or protections. Here are two recent articles on the topic;
https://www.sacbee.com/article254050703.html
UPDATE: The Zero Bail bill SB262 has been removed from the assembly floor for a vote as on September 9th. Zero bail was rejected by California voters in 202, but introduced as legislation in January 2021 by Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) as Senate Bill 262, ironically named the “Safe and Resilient Communities Act.” Senator Hertzberg is quoted as saying he plans to bring this bill back to the floor next year.
A movement to continue to defund and dismantle law enforcement is ongoing in Sacramento. Moving funds away from law enforcement directly impact the amount of patrol officers deployed into our neighborhoods. Less officers mean less coverage. Currently, there are over half a million residents in Sacramento. SacPD has 28 – 40 officers per shift. No matter how hard law enforcement works to protect our streets at night, they do not have the numbers to adequately manage the rise in crime.
Neighbors are reaching out to us and asking what they can do. People can contact their representatives and tell them how zero bail and early release of felons has impacted their family’s safety. It’s important to know, your city, county and state representatives all have the ability to advocate for good public safety legislation.
Here are links to Land Park representatives at the state level;
Congresswoman Doris Matsui
Website: http://matsui.house.gov/
Senator Richard Pan
https://sd06.senate.ca.gov/contact/email
Assembly Kevin McCarty
https://a07.asmdc.org/contact-me
To find other California senate and Assembly representatives go to:
https://www.assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers https://www.senate.ca.gov/senators
The murderer of Katie Tibbitts was released from Sacramento’s downtown county jail. A county judge made the decision to free this violent felon without bail. You can contact your county supervisor to share your thoughts on this. To find your Sacramento County Board Supervisor go to: https://www.saccounty.net/SupervisorLookUp/Pages/default.aspx
Finally, you can contact any of our local leaders to share your concerns. Here is the LPCA page link to contacts: https://landpark.wpengine.com/resources/
Moving forward our goal is to share information from local public safety experts. We are currently organizing several events around public safety and information. A special public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14th (see Events).
If you have questions or comments, feel free to reach out to us at: communications@landpark.org.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Tibbitts Family during this difficult time.
The LPCA