Inspector General David Shaw (CPR photo/Ben Adler)
California’s inspector general says the state failed to properly supervise the alleged kidnapper of Jaycee Dugard.
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Dugard was pulled off the street near her South Lake Tahoe home in 1991. Authorities say a paroled sex offender held her in a secret backyard compound for 18 years and fathered her two children.
Inspector General David Shaw says it’s not clear whether parole agents would have discovered Dugard and her children any sooner if they had done their jobs better.
Shaw: “However, our investigation revealed that there were missed clues and opportunities to discover their existence sooner than they did.”
Clues like the presence of a 12-year-old girl and utility wires running from the back yard into the hidden compound.
State officials acknowledge that “serious errors” took place. Matthew Cate heads California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Cate: “I think that the department needed to do a better job of training our agents, there’s no question about that.”
But Cate says new legislation taking effect in January will help improve the state’s parole system.