Many Shasta County residents are frustrated to hear of the same names involved in crimes over and over again. A combination of state legislation and an overcrowded jail created a situation where offenders would commit crimes and then be on the streets within hours of their arrests. The pattern occurred routinely and thereby removed much of the deterrent factor for repeat criminals, some of whom rack up literally dozens of arrests and hundreds of police contacts before the system can catch up with a conviction. As frustrating as that is for civilians, the frustration is compounded for law enforcement and prosecutors. A new program seeks to reduce that issue in the community. It’s called the “Chronic Offender Accountability Program”. Three agencies- the Sheriff’s Office, Redding Police and Anderson Police- will each select three offenders at a time to concentrate on arresting. Once captured, they won’t be released pending prosecution. That’s made possible by the recent increase in jail beds. Nine of the beds will be reserved at all times just for the nine chronic offenders. The District Attorney’s office will then organize the cases against those career criminals to achieve the maximum possible sentence.