Mayor's Panel on Violent Crime, Bond Reform Hold First Meeting

A panel charged with the task of reviewing law enforcement procedures and finding ways to help keep repeat offenders in jail held its first meeting Monday.

The Mayor’s Panel on Violent Crime and Bond Reform — a group made up of 12 people — began discussions on bond reform and the process of issuing warrants.

Mayor Steve Benjamin formed the panel following the death of 33-year-old Kelly L. Hunnewell, a mother of four children who was shot and killed while at work at a Columbia bakery on July 1. Authorities say at least one of the three suspects accused of killing Hunnewell — 18-year-old Lorenzo Bernard Young — was out on bond for another crime when she was killed.

Among the panel's tasks is a review of several policies including the Early Legal Assistance (ELA) policy, which calls for police officers to submit warrant requests to a prosecutor rather than taking those requests directly to a judge or magistrate for approval.

During Monday's meeting, the panel heard an overview on the history of the ELA policy; state bond legislation; and the bonding process including the role bail bondsman play in getting offenders out of jail and how judges set the bonds.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told Patch he shares the community's frustration over the bonding system and repeat offenders.

"We see the same people in and out (of jail) all the time," Lott said. "I think it’s a proven fact that a small minority of people commits a majority of crime."

"If we can focus on those people and keep them out of our communities and in jail once they’re arrested then we’re going to be successful."

Chairman of the panel, retired State Law Enforcement Division chief Robert Stewart said he would like to see the panel move forward with making recommendations to state legislators in the next couple of weeks.

Stewart suggested the panel schedule its next meeting for next week. 

The Honorable Carl Solomon, a municipal judge for the city of Columbia, said some of the suggestions already made and some of the statues form other states may give the panel good information to suggest to the legislature.

Solomon said now is a good time to discuss bond reform "because it’s so important to our society and so important to our citizens" and urged others to join the conversation.

"We need people who are affected by crimes directly or indirectly to participate, to provide us with information that we may not have otherwise," he said.