Operation Grinch: Multi-Agency Effort Hunts Down Parolees At Large

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Running from the law, parolees are being hunted down by federal, state, and local agents in Sacramento County. The objective is to get sometimes extremely dangerous parolees off the streets.

"What the (expletive)? What the (expletive), you got the cameras in my face?" yelled one unhappy parolee.

It was not a good day for parolees at large. One parolee, Lloyd, was not happy to see CBS13's cameras or the parole agents on Wednesday.

"He has a history of assault with a deadly weapon and burglary," said Agent Alex Hoang, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation.

This crackdown is all part of Operation Grinch, a joint venture coordinated by federal, state and local agencies. Their mission is to round up parolees who haven't checked in with their parole agents, and parolees wanted for various serious crimes.

Since the suspects are often armed and extremely dangerous, officers show a tremendous amount of force catching these criminals. They have to use the element of surprise, since parolees at large can be hard to catch.

To hunt these dangerous criminals down, nothing is sacred; everything is searched, including their cars.

If the parolees don't answer the door, then the K9 officers come knocking.

"Once he heard the dog bark and the scratch at the door, he came out smartly," Hoang said of one parolee.

Going after parolees is a full-time job for state agents, but this type of all-day joint operation is done about six times a year.