I spent close to 22 years as a police professional. My career encompassed many operational assignments including patrol, investigations, gangs and narcotics. I eventually retired as a division commander in the Redondo Beach police department.

Those of us who work in law enforcement see a number of horrible things throughout our careers, some of which leave a lasting impression. Among them is one case that stands out for me and helps inform my current work to reform our criminal justice system to help keep crime victims safe.

The case in question involved a man who was arrested on charges of domestic violence. Like many such cases, this was neither the first time he had been accused of the crime, nor was it the first time the victim had found herself caught in a violent altercation with a partner.

Despite the fact that the accused posed a clear and imminent threat, bail was set. As is often the case, it was the victim herself who ended up posting the bond and eventually dropping the charges for fear of retribution. Within a short period of time, the accused beat his victim to death, leaving a grieving family behind.

The criminal justice system failed this woman, and she paid for it with her life. While some of those failures have been addressed through tougher domestic violence laws, the system allowed him to be released in the first place. Every day, this system keeps those who pose little discernible threat to society behind bars, while returning known violent offenders back onto our streets simply because they’re able to post bail.

I continue to be haunted by this case, and now have dedicated my life to improving our criminal justice system in ways that make our communities safer. Part of that work is advocating for a new bail system — one that is based on risk instead of the financial means of the accused and that puts the public’s safety first.

Our current bail system is inefficient and ineffective. It does nothing to keep our communities safer and creates a two-tiered system of justice — one for those who can afford to purchase their freedom, and one for those who cannot.

Over the last several years, Californians have adopted several significant changes to our criminal justice system. Voter approved initiatives, such as Proposition 47, are bringing balance back to a system that focuses too much on incarceration and not enough on prevention. These changes have allowed us to focus on punishing those who truly pose a threat to society, while freeing up tens of millions of dollars in savings that are being invested in crime prevention programs up and down the state that actually address the drivers of crime.

The next important step down this path is ending a money bail system. This is not a liberal vs. conservative issue. Advocates on both sides of the political aisle support ending cash bail. Jurisdictions from Alabama to New Mexico to New Jersey have made necessary moves forward in this area. We need a bail system that prevents tragedies like the one I witnessed many years ago.

We must realize that locking up thousands of people every day who haven’t been convicted of a crime and are simply awaiting their day in court is the not the best use of our public safety dollars and doesn’t keep us safe. We can reform our pre-trial detention process to better protect victims and save taxpayers millions. In so doing, we’ll be continuing to make smart reforms to our criminal justice system that will keep all Californians safer.

Diane Goldstein, who retired from the Redondo Beach Police Department in 2004, is chair of the board of directors of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership.