DOC Officer Reassignment Making a Difference
PROSSER -- Gang bangers, sex offenders, crooks -- once they're out of jail it's up to a Department of Corrections officer to keep tabs on them to keep your family safe.
Action News is checking up on a new change in Prosser.
DOC reshuffled staff and put an officer right in the Prosser police station.
This person watches ex-cons in western Benton County.
Officer Ross Esparza calls his stroll around downtown Prosser, "walking the beat." It may seem simple enough, but this wasn't happening a year ago.
"Prosser's known as mustang country and it seems we got some horses running around the corral unchecked. Or not as closely checked," Esparza said. "Well we've tightened up the reigns."
Officer Esparza is the one holding those reigns. Last year, he was reassigned to watch over offenders living in western Benton County.
Those people used to check in at a Sunnyside office. Now they come to Prosser PD so Esparza gets to know them, and so do local police.
"His knowledge base of past offenders or current ones is an asset to us, it's like having a walking Rolodex," said Prosser Chief Patrick McCullough.
Esparza checks on about 30 offenders.
While Action News was following Officer Esparza, he called an offender who hadn't checked in for a while. Within a half-hour the offender was down at the station.
This face-to-face connection helps make sure these people are making the right choices.
"When you have offenders that know they're going to be monitored more closely, they know that if they mess up they're going to be held accountable and that makes Prosser safer," said Esparza.
That's the goal: help keep offenders from re-offending, and keep you safe.
All this extra oversight comes at no extra cost to you, the taxpayer. Prosser isn't paying a dime for this, they just made room in their squad room.
DOC isn't paying anything extra either, the officer is using the same laptop and cell phone he did before, just now in Prosser.
Action News is checking up on a new change in Prosser.
DOC reshuffled staff and put an officer right in the Prosser police station.
This person watches ex-cons in western Benton County.
Officer Ross Esparza calls his stroll around downtown Prosser, "walking the beat." It may seem simple enough, but this wasn't happening a year ago.
"Prosser's known as mustang country and it seems we got some horses running around the corral unchecked. Or not as closely checked," Esparza said. "Well we've tightened up the reigns."
Officer Esparza is the one holding those reigns. Last year, he was reassigned to watch over offenders living in western Benton County.
Those people used to check in at a Sunnyside office. Now they come to Prosser PD so Esparza gets to know them, and so do local police.
"His knowledge base of past offenders or current ones is an asset to us, it's like having a walking Rolodex," said Prosser Chief Patrick McCullough.
Esparza checks on about 30 offenders.
While Action News was following Officer Esparza, he called an offender who hadn't checked in for a while. Within a half-hour the offender was down at the station.
This face-to-face connection helps make sure these people are making the right choices.
"When you have offenders that know they're going to be monitored more closely, they know that if they mess up they're going to be held accountable and that makes Prosser safer," said Esparza.
That's the goal: help keep offenders from re-offending, and keep you safe.
All this extra oversight comes at no extra cost to you, the taxpayer. Prosser isn't paying a dime for this, they just made room in their squad room.
DOC isn't paying anything extra either, the officer is using the same laptop and cell phone he did before, just now in Prosser.
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