Video of Probation Officer arresting a minor

An Investigation is being conducted on an incident recorded in Dayton Ohio of a Probation Officer dealing with an uncooperative minor. The parents, of course, are outraged and claiming excessive use of force. What do you think?


http://www.whio.com/…/…/springfield-juvenile-assault/vDXxwW/



P.O. Doe


#probation
#probationuncovered

Upcoming eBook "Left on Vacation, Came Back on Probation - A Guide to Successfully Completing Your Probation"

So, in addition to blogging about the life and adventures of a probation officer, I thought there was room for some eBooks. The first one that I wanted to get out was a guide for probationers on what to expect from being on probation and how to successfully complete your probation. It is a foreign process to many of the people that get this second chance after screwing up. We all make mistakes and I hope that this guide can help first time offenders, as well as some of those enrolled in the frequent flyer program, navigate the system. At least it will point them in the right direction to be able to ask the right questions of their probation officer that gets them the applicable answer for the area that they live in. More information to come!



P.O. Doe


#probation
#probationuncovered

Truth in advertising

Should we be airing these TV ads in Australia?
Posted by The Grill Team on Saturday, May 23, 2015

It appears that these were made in Montana.  They need to be nation wide!!

I've seen what this poison does first hand.  And it can rightfully be called poison.  Just look at the list of ingredients and that is regardless of the method it's made.

P.O. Doe


#probation
#probationuncovered

Those aren't my pants!

Oh, you mean the ones you're wearing?  I actually heard that today.  Again.  Probably the 3rd time I've heard it over my career.  I supposed that the crooks/client/probationer is so used to people, especially family, believing them if they just argue loud enough and deny everything.

I suppose I once was one of those believers.  Not anymore.  I've embraced the philosophy from the TV show House - everyone lies...

But there still is a little part inside me that wants to believe.  A spark of hope.

But not today.  I don't believe you when you tell me those aren't you're pants. You're on probation for possession of cocaine.  There's a crack rock in the pocket of those pants.  Those pants that are your size.

Not today...

P.O. Doe

Officer Safety

From the news:

"At approximately 2am this morning, Bradley County (TN) Deputy Tiffany Oakley went home for her lunch break. She observed a man hiding behind a vehicle on her property. When she asked the man what he was doing, he attacked her. Details are not very clear at this time. Deputy Oakley reportedly used her taser, to no avail. Deputy Oakley then shot the suspect, killing him. Deputy Oakley won the battle for her life. We are thankful she survived. Heads on a swivel everywhere, everyone."

When you read these news reports as a probation officer, keep in mind that you are part of this reality.  Whether you are sworn or not, we are included under the law enforcement umbrella.  The people we deal with on a daily basis have the potential to act violently as it was in this case.  I don't know if Officer Oakley's attacker was a probationer, but the point is that we deal with dangerous people with the potential for violence.  They are not your friends.  Always be aware of your surroundings and don't get complacent with your case load!  Stay safe!!

P.O. Doe


#probation
#probationuncovered

Work load

This can be a huge issue for a probation officer.  Where does your case load get capped at?  How many people are you going to be required to supervise?  I don't know if the general public realizes that in a probation department for a large city, the average PO case load may exceed 100 people.  There are only 160 work hours in a month.  So that leaves 1.6 hours per person, assuming no one is currently in custody.  Then account for meetings (which management loves to have), monthly reports, probation violation reports, teaching classes, facilitating group sessions, Court appearances, etc.  This doesn't account for any off time for the PO - sick time, vacation, etc.  So that may well cut it down to one hour per person.  I usually schedule 30 minutes for an appointment with a probationer.  I usually use that full 30 minutes with them with a little run over time.  Then I have to do the associated paperwork for that meeting.  This may include more than just writing up the notes for the visit.  It may have to be applied to how the visit met the needs of their supervision plan or other agency specific tracking requirements.  If that person is in custody, a visit may be required which will include transit time to wherever they are being held. 

A lot a expectation for supervision.  This definitely detracts from the quality of supervision.  Where in this time frame can you do research to verify the information the probationer is giving you?  An more importantly, where do you find the time to conduct field visits.  Scheduled visits make the time management easier, but that does defeat the purpose of a compliance check. 

The system, both adult and juvenile, is not set up for the number of people that we are expected to supervise.  Budget of both time and money is always an issue.


P.O. Doe


#probation
#probationuncovered

Youthful ideals

I know that when I started out as a baby P.O., I still had it in the back of my head that I could still save everyone. Not in a tree hugger hippy sort of way, but that no one was really too far gone.  I had a fair concept that there were truly evil people, but I had never really met one - that I recognized as being evil.
Boy has that view of the world changed.  Call me jaded if that's what label you need to place, but I think it's that I'm more realistic.  I know I've seen things that people don't see and that's had an affect. When you see the worst of people for long enough, how can it not? But I've accepted the fact that some people are either incapable of change or they just don't want to change.  Many of them are predators.
So I choose my battles.  And I don't have the same view of what is a success.  Very few big victories are achieved.  Most are small ones.  And I've learned to be happy with those small victories.  Today was one of those days.

P.O. Doe


#probation
#probationuncovered

The wonderful world of Probation

I've noticed that there are a number of blogs out there by and for police officers, but no blogs for probation officers.  So it was time to create one.

I am a probation officer somewhere in a major metropolitan area in the United States.  Anonymity is required due to the political world of law enforcement and government service.  And I want to keep my job.  Thus the name PO Doe will be used as my identifier.

I will try to post often.  My posts will include officer safety information, probation related news, probation related humor and whatever I think applies to the many hats we wear in the world of probation.

If along the way, you have questions, contact me and I will do my best to answer them.  I will not tolerate hate, racism, sexism and any of that other crap.  That said, I may not exactly be politically correct in my views at times. 

I hope you enjoy!

P.O. Doe


#probation
#probationuncovered