Why should probation officers get a law enforcement type of retirement package?

It’s just not fair that probation gets a safety retirement!  I’m sure you have heard the old saying “if I had a nickel for every time (insert witty, sometimes arrogant remark here)”! Well, here it comes again.  If I had a nickel for every time someone said how lucky I am to be being able to retire at age 50 (or 55 or 57, now depending on the pension reform and your employers version) I usually respond with a smile and patronize them with ”you’re right, I’m lucky”.

After that, I continue the conversation but fall into my own thoughts at the same time.  Initially my brain jumps right to “idiot” or “moron” or “did they really say that or are they just being an a$$hole”? This all happens within a matter of seconds. As I walk away, my own self-doubt creeps into the logical side of my brain and wonders.  Am I lucky to retire at such an early age? Do I deserve to retire at an age well before most are allowed to get their gold watch?

These thoughts quickly vanish as I contemplate the absurdity of these questions.

Here are just 4 reasons why probation officers get to retire “so young” and are (or should be if you are not!) considered safety or law enforcement category for retirement.

1. Stress

You would think that this one would be a no brainer. There are people out there that think they have stressful jobs.  Unless you are a police officer, front line combat grunt, air traffic controller or a sky-diving instructor, everyone else, please sit down.

“But you don’t know man, I’ve got deadlines and a lot of pressure on me at my job, why do probation officers retire before I get to?”

And I get that. I really do.  But, really?

I will spare everyone the same old “we face armed felons and don’t know if we are going home at the end of our shift mantra.”  That is a big part of the job.

It should be blatantly obvious to everyone. Oh and I’m quite sure if you screw up, or have a perceived screw up, at work it won’t cause the city you work in to riot or change your industries culture on a global level.  Does it happen often in our industry? Not really, but it hangs there in our minds.  Potentially affecting our decision making and slowing our reaction times. 

This applies to probation officers as much as police officers.  Where cops deal with all of the population, we deal with all of the people that cause them the most problems.  They are who we supervise.  We have to go to their homes, armed or not.  We have to hold them accountable, often by arresting them. 

Plus there is compassion fatigue.  It is draining working with the population that we work with.  Full of mental health issues, addiction issues, etc., this is a difficult population.  You have to allow yourself to open up and care about people to be effective at your job and this takes a heavy toll, regardless of how well you take care of yourself. 

2. Schedule

It sucks.  I’m not talking about the building rats (PO’s who never leave the building).  I’m talking about task force work.  You are always on call. 

I have worked days and nights, holidays, birthdays, elections, hurricanes, and high school plays. I have worked 30 hours without sleep and have come back to work 20 more with only a few hours of sleep in between.

While most PO’s never work in a task force, there are a lot doing shift work.  That takes it’s toll.

3. The uniform

While most probation officers don’t have a designated uniform, it is ridiculously uncomfortable wearing a protective vest and 30 pounds of law enforcement gear.  Whether it’s in a carrier/tactical outer cover and/or on a duty belt, it effects the way you sit, stand, and walk.  It creates injury. 

4. The exposure to unspeakable suffering

It eventually comes up.  You’ll get asked if you had ever seen a dead body. Other than your grandma at her funeral, most have not.  There are things in this world that humans are not meant to see or experience.

As mentioned from reason #1, law enforcement is a highly stressful and dangerous occupation.  New PO’s arrive in this profession with an eagerness that is almost unrivaled in any other job.  “I’m going to change the world, one probationer at a time”.

Until they see their first dead baby. Or they have a probationer murdered that they’ve been working with for months or years.  Or one of their co-workers or one of the police officers they work with in their community is murdered.

The seduction of becoming a probation officer and serving the greater good enables the new PO to overlook the inherent dangers and traumatic scenes that he or she may face or see.

As they become fully immersed in the law enforcement culture, the old life they had prior to becoming a probation officer begins to fade away. They are forever changed by the things they experience in the work we do.  It becomes harder to relate to the mundane realities of the lives of people that don’t work in law enforcement. 

 

I am definitely not the same person that I was when I started this journey into law enforcement as a probation officer.  I am jaded.  My filter isn’t the same as it was near the beginning of all this.  I don’t look at people the same way.  I sit with my back to the door, just in case.  And how many of you have an emergency plan for your family for dealing with potential problems with people you’ve supervised in public?  That surely isn’t something that those normally complaining about our early retirement have to worry about.

Stay safe!!

P. O. Doe

#probation
#probationuncovered

Twitter - @PODoe2015
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/probationuncovered/
Email - probationuncovered@gmail.com

13 things about life and society we learn on the job

Since so much of this information crosses over to what we as probation officers do, I thought I'd continue with the previous blog entry theme.  Again, borrowed from PoliceOne.com

13 things about life and society cops learn from the beat

Jun 18, 2014

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• A question posted recently on Quora asked, “What have you learned as a police officer about life and society that most people don't know or underestimate?” Former Police Commander Rick Bruno gave his opinion on the topic, below. Check it out and add your own thoughts in our comments section.

1.) A life can change permanently — or end — in an instant, without warning or second chances.
We see this with our probationers and their families all too often.  I managed to go almost 8 years before I had someone murdered on my caseload.  He was gunned down in the middle of the street.  He did choose the life, but he didn't choose the end or deserve it. 
It does also happen to our coworkers - and their families.  I've lost one coworker to violence, a fellow probation officer, as well as too many officers from police agencies that I had worked with.  If it hasn't happened to you, if you stay in this field long enough, it will.

2.) A suicide has more than one victim.

And we deal with this more directly with the population we serve than the police officers do.  Although they deal with the immediate aftermath, we deal with the long term with the families and with our probationers. 

And, we are in a profession that has a high rate of suicides.  Law enforcement in general.  I have lost several friends from agencies I worked with to this tragedy.

3.) Children should not have to see some things.
This is something that I will never become immune or dead to.  It affects me more than just about anything.  The conditions that I have seen first hand people live in with their children are appalling.  The things that people expose their children to are equally atrocious.  We are mandatory reporters.  Use that reporting, as well as filing charges for child neglect or endangerment. 

4.) The "safest" neighborhoods can be the deadliest.
Just because you feel that you aren't in the worst of neighborhoods, don't become complacent.  If you were to conduct a probation search in Beverly Hills, is it really any less dangerous than Watts?  Yes and no.  All it takes is the actions of one person to ruin your day and that can happen anywhere.  Stay frosty.

5.) Most people don't really know their neighbors.
I don't.  Especially in California.  There is a different attitude here about your neighbors than in many other places, especially the South.  But even then, people are different when they let their public face down.  We don't see our probationers the same way in the office that we would at their homes or in prison.  We don't see them acting the same way as they do when they are around the police either. 

6.) It is one thing to catch a person "red handed," it is quite another to convict them.
I really saw this from watching how the Court system works in the plea process and with how things are done with Pre-Sentence Reports.  If you haven't done work as a representative of your department in a court room, do it.  It is eye opening to how things are negotiated out.  It really isn't like you see on television...

7.) The police uniform is a symbol. It is not protection. The emotions of the people you serve go right through it.
Most probation departments don't have uniforms, but the badge or jacket serve as the same symbology.  We carry many of the successes and failures of our probationers.  To be good at your job, you have to take things personal to some degree.  When a probationer is in crisis and having a meltdown aimed at you, it is emotionally draining.  When bad things happen, they can follow you into your dreams and beyond.

8.) Many, many people will never see their own situation as their own fault, when they should. They therefore miss the opportunity to heal.
This pretty much sums up why we have job security.  So many of the people we supervise do not take responsibility for their own actions.  It is a microcosm of the larger society as a whole, but it gets our people into legal problems that end up with quality time spent with us.  Without accepting responsibility for your part in your situation, how can you move on?  How can you mature?  How can you learn?  So many fail to do so.  That is why so many probationers act like overgrown teenagers.

9.) Many Americans insist they know their rights. Some do, most do not.
People watch too much television.  And listen to too many street hustlers that claim they know the law.  Then they get all crossed up.  People - read the Constitution if you want to know your rights.  Or actually talk to a rights attorney.  Do you really think you know my job better than me?  Or that I am intentionally walking over your rights, thus risking my career and civil lawsuit?  Just because of you?  Get over yourself.  You are not that important...

10.) If a person repeats something three times, he is intoxicated. ("No wait, no wait, no wait ...")
Or under the influence.  Or they think that you are going to believe their lies the way that their mama does.  If you haven't gotten Drug Abuse Recognition training, take the class.  It will change the way you interact with people in our field.

11.) If we listened to each other we would avoid most of the problems we have with one another.
But that means that I have to stop talking. That means I have to think about someone else besides myself.  That means that I have to have a grasp of the concepts of sympathy and empathy.  If this was easy for the population we serve, they likely would not be on probation. 

12.) Someone wants what you have, even if your only possession is a dryer box.
If you look at your case load, you will likely find someone on probation for petty theft, probably with prior petty theft arrests.  Depending on what the cut off dollar amount is and the way your state laws are written, they stole something of very little value.  This is often due to addiction and/or mental health issues.  This is very common in our population.  Then there are those that just want what you have and will use violence to take it.  Their mental health issue is likely that they are sociopaths.  A lot of them in our population too.

13.) There are some amazingly evil people in the world. They will hurt you just for fun, and they lack the ability to feel bad about it.
These are the worst of the sociopaths or psychopaths that we deal with.  And the people that are just plain a-holes.  If you stay in the profession long enough, you will deal with them.  Even if you work in an area with a smaller population.  They are everywhere...


Stay safe out there!

P. O. Doe

#probation
#probationuncovered

Twitter - @PODoe2015
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/probationuncovered/
Email - probationuncovered@gmail.com

Inspired from a post from Police One

From PoliceOne.com

I was recently asked, “What have you learned as a police officer about life and society that most people don’t know or underestimate?”

Here is my reply...



1.) One of the things my upbringing did not prepare me for was the complete lack of civility that some people have. I didn’t think of myself as having been sheltered from evil as a child, but I did not learn that some people have absolutely no regard for the welfare of anyone but themselves, and lash out at anyone who tries to make them aware they are not the only people on the planet.

If you haven't seen this with people you supervise, or their families, you've been very lucky.  There is a strong sense of entitlement that seems to feed this.

2. ) Everyone has a “hot button.” Calm and even-tempered as you might be, there is some topic that will set you off, especially if it’s referenced to you personally. It might be your height, your weight, your sexuality, your education, how much money you have, your mom, whatever. Rational people can become maniacs if someone pushes their buttons.

Get to know what this is, if you haven't already.  Be prepared for it and hold your temper.  You must act as if you are always being recorded, because you probably are.  Go to the field with someone who knows you and can help step in if you need to walk away and collect yourself.  And by all means, don't be the person who tries to find these buttons in the people they supervise.  You will end up getting hurt or getting someone else hurt.

3.) Although they may not know it, there are people who find these hot buttons instinctively, and they live to push them.

And the drama swarms around them.  Recognize this and develop a plan ahead of time to deal with it.  It may just be that you need to terminate the appointment until they can collect themselves and behave appropriately.  If it continues, provide the court with that information in your progress report or revocation petition.


4.) Never underestimate what people will do for sex, money, and/or power. That applies to everyone, from the basest criminal to the most saint-like person you know.

I just posted an article about a probation officer who was convicted of sexual assaulting someone he supervised.  And how many of us know one (or more) people that have been walked out of the job for something related to sex, money or power?


5.) People can be sexually aroused by almost anything. There are practices people engage in for sexual reasons that you will find baffling and utterly disgusting. You can gain some limited insight here by going to a reasonably-well-stocked adult bookstore and examining the diversity of the materials. If your thing is watching overweight Asian women give each other enemas, there are not just other people who enjoy the same thing, there is probably a regular magazine and series of videos devoted to it.

Or take a look (not at work!!) at any internet porn site.  Peoples paraphilia's are diverse and amazing.  This includes the people that we work with... 


6.) No matter how bizarre you find other folks’ sexual preferences, you have to be at peace with knowing that what consenting adults do in private is their business alone. If they decide to take it public or engage people who either don’t consent or are too young to do so, you can get involved.

Be prepared to encounter some of the oddest things during your probation searches and always wear gloves!  And if you are supervising a sex offender case load or doing some of the heavy duty presentence reports, you will have to read about some pretty horrendous things.  Don't take it home with you.


7.) Law enforcement is a very stressful occupation, but most of the stress comes from the political interactions and power games within each law enforcement agency. The stuff on the street can be stressful, but you learn to deal with that quickly or you get out. About half of the people who become law enforcement officers leave before they have five years on the job. Some get fired for unsuitability, incompetence, or misconduct, but others find out it’s just not for them.

You do see this with Probation Officers also.  And how many of us work for an organization that is rift with political games, favoritism, etc?  Especially if they make it clear through actions that they won't back you up if you are accused of wrongdoing...


8.) High-speed chases look like fun because they are.

Most Probation Officers will never engage in this.  There are some that work in specialized units that will and I have heard that it is a blast!


9.) Once you become a cop, very few of your non-cop friends will ever again treat you the same way. You will be introduced by your profession for the rest of your life. People are never going to be comfortable with the group charged with detecting and making them accountable for their bad conduct.

People will not differentiate a Probation Officer with a Police Officer when it comes to this.  You will soon discover who your true friends are.  And they must also be okay with how the job changes you over the years.


10.) Many criminals can be reformed, and eventually do come to the point in their lives that a criminal lifestyle is more trouble than it’s worth to them. Unfortunately, by the time some of them do that, they have incurred a prison sentence that will keep them behind bars until they die.

Either the light comes on due to something happening, like going to adult jail for the first time, or they just get old enough to understand that it just isn't worth it.  It is a rewarding part of your job helping and guiding them to come to that realization. 


11.) Criminals who do not fit into the above category are mostly predators, and should be locked up permanently.

You will have them on your caseload.  Learn to recognize them and trust your instincts.  A part of our job is protecting the community, not just trying to rehabilitate people.  Their actions will guide yours and you must hold them accountable.


12.) Never say, “Now I’ve seen it all.” There will always be innovators.

This is so true.  Whether it be new criminal conduct or the excuse of the month, there is always creativity!


13.) Take away alcohol and stupid, and the world would require about 90 percent fewer cops.

Add in drugs and the percentage goes even higher with the people on our case loads.  The ones that don't do the drugs, alcohol or stupid are likely part of item 11 above.




Be safe!!

P. O. Doe

#probation
#probationuncovered

Twitter - @PODoe2015
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/probationuncovered/
Email - probationuncovered@gmail.com

New book on writing reports for probation officers

On 3/14/17, I finished and published my 13th eBook.  This one is on report writing for probation officers. 


Just the Facts: Report Writing for Probation Officers
http://a.co/4cNWnaz

I hope you find it helpful!!


P. O. Doe

#probation
#probationuncovered

Twitter - @PODoe2015
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/probationuncovered/
Email - probationuncovered@gmail.com

It's been a minute...

It's been a few months since I last made an entry on here.  Times have been busy and I was more focused on Twitter and Facebook. 

I just read this and my initial thoughts were - Uhhh, no $hit...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/02/28/jeff-sessions-ties-increase-in-violent-crime-to-undermined-respect-for-police/?utm_term=.ccdd4dce2ef6

There has been a tremendous erosion of respect for law enforcement, including probation and parole.  This lack of respect translates to increased violence towards law enforcement and increased violence in our communities!!


P. O. Doe

#probation
#probationuncovered

Twitter - @PODoe2015

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/probationuncovered/

Email - probationuncovered@gmail.com

Drowning in Paperwork

One of those many days that I am drowning in a sea of paperwork.  The longer I do this job, the more paperwork is added on.  And so many of the forms are the same information, just in a different format.  So what ever agency that wants to track the information has it in their format...

I realize the need for accountability and tracking data.  How else can "evidence based" functions be shown to work or not work if we don't track the data to show it?  But it just gets deeper and deeper. 

How is it in your jurisdiction?  What is your paperwork load like?  Has it gotten to the point where it takes more time away from the things you need to do or would like to do with your probationers/clients?



P. O. Doe

#probation
#probationuncovered

Twitter - @PODoe2015
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/probationuncovered/
Email - probationuncovered@gmail.com

Perspective theme

A common theme with my posts is perspective.  But it is a theme of balance.

I am a firm believer that I am here to help people.  I also know that these people can be dangerous.  I try to embody the philosophy of being kind and courteous to everyone, while having a plan to kill them.  Also that public protection is paramount and it is our highest priority as probation officers.

With this in mind, plus the drain that the probationers that get the most of my time and energy are the neediest and can be a major pain n the ass.  The squeaky wheel gets the grease.  This can affect my view, my perspective, that the work being done isn't effective.  I can forget that there are a larger number of people I'm working with that are greatly benefitting from the chances given and the services provided.  While the services are there for all probationers, it has clicked for these individuals that this is there life and they don't want anything more to do with being locked up.

Some days can be more of a struggle to keep good perspective.  But keep it I will.



P. O. Doe




 #probation

 #probationuncovered

 Twitter - @PODoe2015

 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/probationuncovered/

 Email - probationuncovered@gmail.com