The Michigan Daily-Saturday, May 30, 1981-Page 3
CITY OFFICIALS SEEK PRISONER AND PAROLEE INFORMATION
City proposal causes confusion
./
By NANCY BILYEAU
While city officials consider an or-
dinance that would require the
registration of incoming parolees and
halfway house prisoners, there is some
confusion over what a list of these
people would be used for, who would
have access to it, and whether the city
already has such information.
The ordinance, requiring that
parolees and prisoners register with the
city administrator within 10 days of
establishing residence in Ann Arbor,
was proposed as a "crime prevention
measure," several council members
say.
"WE WOULD use it as a means and a
manner of keeping aware of the half-
way house problem," said Terry
Sprenkel, city administrator.
Councilwoman Leslie Morris (D-2nd
Ward) said, "It's for our information as
we look into the future of halfway house
placement," adding that Council wants
to avoid the surplus of facilities she
says currently exists in Ypsilanti.
However, several officials em-
phasized that it was the police-not the
council-who requested this action, and
that the police will make the most use of
thelist.
Ii
rO
Swh.
Approved
contract
sent to
miners
"THE POLICE have asked for it,"
said City Attorney Bruce Laidlaw,
whose office drafted the proposal.
When asked what the list would be used
for, Laidlaw answered, "Darned if I
know."
Police Chief William Corbett confir-
med that the request for a prisoner and
parolee registration originated from
the police department for its internal
use.
If a halfway house prisoner were to
run away or be suspected of criminal
activity, the list could be used to aid ap-
prehension Corbett explained, adding
that his department would be less con-
cerned with parolees, who do not reside
inhalfway houses.
HOWEVER, A state Department of
Corrections official said an updated list
of incoming prisoners is already sent to
the city of Ann Arbor every 30 days.
"I don't think it's necessary," said
state Probation and Parole Supervisor
Thomas Moyer, referring to the
proposed registration. "They (council)
feel that since there were some spec-
tacular crimes" the city needs ad-
ditional protection against halfway
house inmates.
Every 30 days a list of recently-
arrived parolees also is sent to the
police department complete with such
information as race, sex, criminal
record, and parole officer's name, ac-
cording to Detective Lt. Eddie Owens.
Councilman Earle Green (D-2nd
Ward) pointed out that previous DOC
halfway house prisoner lists have been
incomplete or late.
AFTER THE murder last winter of a
cab driver, allegedly committed by a
halfway house inmate, the city did not
have an updated prisoner list the coun
Oil could work with, Greene said.
Last February, the city's Zoning
Board of Appeals defeated a petition for
construction of a new halfway house in
the wake of a two-month controversy
over the possibility that local crime
would increase if more halfway house
prisoners came to Ann Arbor.
"It's (the ordinance) not meant to be
anti-parole," Greene said. "It's simply.
information that police and housing
peopleneedto know."
HOWEVER, Susan Greenberg (D-1st
Ward) said she is concerned about the
list becoming public information,
readily available at the City Ad-
ministrator's office.
Sprenkel confirmed that, if passed,
Greenberg.. .
concerned about police
the ordinance would provide a list of
parolees and prisoners which the public
would have free access to.
"Any landlord could walk in and
make sure his next door neighbor is on
that list," Greenberg said.
See REGISTRATION, Page 5
A 2 or bust?
THIS HONDA Pack-mule was seen
grazing in front of Angel Hall, laden
with what appeared to be its owner's
entire collection of earthly belongings.
F~o,,,APandUPI
I
From AP and UPI
WASHINGTON-United Mine Workers bargaining
council yesterday overwhelmingly approved a new
contract with the soft coal industry and sent the ten-
tative agreement to striking miners for a ratification
vote.
However, the 64-day work stoppage by 160,00
miners will continue under the "no contract, no
work" tradition of the union at least until results of
the June 6 ratification vote are tabulated.
The miners rejected an earlier settlement effort.
UNION PRESIDENT Sam Church said he believes
the settlement, which would give miners a 37.5 per-
cent wage-benefit package over 40 months, may be
the "best" reached this year with any major in-
dustry.
The agreement would boost wages for most top-
scale miners by $3.60 per hour over the live of the con-
tract, from the current $10.56 to $14.16.
Church and other union leaders expressed op-
timism that members of the union, who voted 2-1
against the earlier agreement, will accept the new
pact.
"I THINK IT'S a very good contract, probably the
best to be negotiated this year in the country among a
URN= Photo by DAVID GALj
major industry," Church told a news conference.
"We did not give up anything and we made some
gains," Church said. "We have taken care of what
we've seen as our problems in the last agreement."
Church said that separate negotiations involving
UMW construction workers could hold up reopening
of some mines but that generally the industry would
go back to work, should the main contract be ratified.
UNION OFFICIALS across the coalfields warned
that miners will take a "long, hard look" before
ratifying the pact, however. They said pensions and
union-security provisions will be top considerations
of the rank and file.
"They want a contract that's going to be good for
this union," said Carroll Rogers, president of UMW
District 31 in northern West Virginia.
The bargaining council vote yesterday was
originally 36-2, but spokesman Eldon Callen said the
two dissidents changed to make it unanimous.
In March, the council approved the first attempted
settlement by a margin of only 21 to 14. Church said of
the stronger endorsement this time: "I'm sure that
we'll receive total support from the bargaining coun-
cil in the field ... which we didn't get 100 percent the
last time."