The Rise and Fall of the East Area Rapist

Sacramento City Police were told not to call the Sheriff's Department when their officers responded to a call related to the East Area Rapist. This annoyed Shelby and all at the Sheriff's Office who had worked hard and found a benefit in the two departments working together. Regardless of the new policy, both police departments continued to contact each other and still cooperated behind the scenes. It was only by working together that on February 4, 1977, they had a suspect in custody. But it was something that would later divide law enforcement, as some, including Shelby, were adamant the Visalia Ransacker and the East AreaRapist were not the same man.