Probation and parole: how it plays out on the streets

Lt. Stephen Wright gunned his police cruiser down Charleston's Meeting Street, anxiously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he tried to gain ground on a Honda sedan racing into the distance.

Wright couldn't afford to lose the Honda's driver, a broad-shouldered ex-con wanted for probation violations.

Wilbert Mills had served hard time for attempted robbery and aggravated assault. Police and state probation agents had searched for him for a month with no luck. Suddenly, he drove by them, nonchalantly shouted a greeting and sped off.

"C'mon," Wright grumbled as the Honda suddenly turned up Romney Street and disappeared from view. Wright scanned the alcoves and alleyways for a moment, then jammed on the brakes with a smile. There sat the Honda, under a canopy of oaks beneath a giant billboard of McDonald's french fries.

Wright slapped a pair of handcuffs on Mills as the big man stepped from behind a boarded, abandoned shack.

One down. Dozens to go.

Officials say new approaches, such as pairing police with agents on warrant sweeps and home visits, helps the beleaguered probation and parole system crack down on violators. But they acknowledge the efforts aren't enough.

Read more in day two of the Law and Disorder series in tomorrow's editions of The Post and Courier.