A System Out of Control in San Mateo County

Nick finished his jail time and was released from McGuite Correctional Facility in San Mateo County. He contacted his assigned Probation Officer immediately the day after release and went and met with him.

During the initial meeting Nick gave the PO all of the required and requested information. The PO told him that he didn't much care what Nick did or where he went. Nick found this attitude very strange. However, the PO then told Nick that it would be easy for him to successfully complete his probation. The only requirement the PO had was that Nick was to setup 3 different people to be caught with a minimum of 3.5 grams of meth each. Nick was completely taken off guard by this request as he could not believe that a PO could, or would, demand he do such a thing.

Nick argued with the PO that he was completely clean and intended to stay that way. In order for Nick to be able to do as this PO asked he would have to establish himself into the society of those who were selling meth. He told the PO that he wouldn't do as he asked. The PO replied, look, you can either do these three setups or I will make your life hell. If you do as I ask then you will be done with your probation and you can have it transferred anywhere you wish. Nick said but I'm on 3 years probation. The PO said that he didn't care. If Nick did these setups then that was that and the probation could be transferred to something called a book probation where it was only effected if Nick were to get arrested for something. He would not have to report and he could move anywhere he wanted to.

Nick was afraid to tell the PO that he refused but he wasn't going to agree either. So, Nick said that he would work on it and let the PO know. The PO then told Nick to contact him again in 1 month. Nick told the PO that he had no where permanent to live but that a friend had come from out of town and rented a hotel room that Nick would be staying in for about two weeks. The PO wrote down the info Nick told him about the name of the hotel and the details regarding who had rented the room.

Less then a month had passed when the PO, without even attempting to contact Nick on his phone, violated Nick and issued a no-bail warrant. When Nick phoned the PO and asked why he'd been violated the PO told him that the hotel Nick said he was going to be in for two weeks had no record of a room in Nicks name. Nick told the PO that the room was rented in a friends name and that the PO had been informed of that including the name of the friend. The PO replied "well, you know we are so overloaded you really need to make sure I write these things down". Nick said, but you wrote down the name and number of the hotel why would you not have the name on the reservation?

The PO then said, well, you should have called me sooner anyway. Nick said but I wasn't supposed to call you for 30 days. To which the PO had nothing to say.

So, basically, an individual who does the time he is sentenced to and complies completely with the instructions of the Probation Officer is violated without any rights. Furthermore, how can it be constitutional for a Probation Officer to make it a requirements for someone to get involved with drugs and put himself in danger to setup other's to be arrested!!! This is making it completely impossible for the person on probation to do as the court CLAIMS they want and be a regular and positive member of society.

This kind of thing is NOT unusual in San Mateo County. Furthermore, if Nick tries to get assistance from the court appointed defense called the "private defender program" they simply do nothing on Nick's behalf. This county is completely out of control and because the District Attorney for the county is personal friends with the Attorney General of California no one does anything about it.

This is NOT what the citizens of this country expect nor deserve. This is the kind of thing we hear about 3rd world countries for which we are always so disgusted. The fact that this goes on in our own back yard and that the attorney general of the state does nothing about it is worse then disgusting.

If anyone can think of any way that Nick can be helped please add your comments!!! This is destruction of our way of life people!!