Probation and Police/Sheriff Partnerships...

[jdlong]

Hello,

Just wanted to find out how many fellow officers have a strong working relationship with their county Probation Officers. I'm a Deputy Probation Officer in Northern California. I've been a P.O. for about 6-years now, working in several of our units (adult felons, narcotics task force, juvenile, etc.) With the exeception of our county task force, our probation department doesn't have much of a working relationship with our Sheriff's Office or local PD's (unless I'm 10-15 with a probationer at booking). I've heard of several Probation Departments that actually partner with local agencies to conduct searches, serve warrants, and share intel. Just looking for feedback. I'd like to get some ideas. It seems like a great partnership if agencies are willing. After all, we all work with the same population.

jdlong

[five0211]

Hey Brother,

You might wanna Google "Project spotlight". This was a program started by former TX Gov. George Bush. It is a team concept which partners Probation officers and Police Officers in a collaberative effort in dealing with Gang Members and violent youth offenders. Before I became a Police Officer, I was an adult P.O. and worked in this program. It was very effective. In Harris Co. we had the probationers Conditions of Probation amended/modified to include searches by Probation Officers. The police officers loved that because no PC was needed. It has been ruled on by the supreme court. The ruling essentially stated that Probationers had a decreased expectancy of being searched as long as they are on paper.

[jdlong]

Thanks...

Thanks for the feedback regarding Project Spotlight. I checked it out on-line. Looks like a great program. I'm going to do my best to present the concept to my Chief. I personally have a great relationship with many of our county deputies and city police officers. I'd just like to see an official program developed. The intel sharing alone is worth it. And of course, fellow officers lick their chops when they find out a defendant has full search and seizure terms of probation...no PC or paper needed for that entry and search. I really like the after-hours approach of Project Spotlight. As you know, our Probationers definitley catch on quickly to our search and arrest hours. A Friday night search with fellow agencies would be quite the unpleasant surprise!

Thanks Again, Be Safe

jdlong

[five0211]

No Problem...

Yeah It's Easy To Put On Your Sunday Best For Your Monthly Visit/ Ua, But It's A Diffrent Story When You Don't Know When To Expect A Visit Or A Ua. We Use To Take Ua Kits With Us And Test Them At Home.

[jdlong]

Yeah, our felons aren't as dumb as they usually look. Word spreads fast in our neighborhoods when we're serving warrants, searching and hooking. The back to back UA technique seems to work...test on a Friday and suprise them again on Monday. Woops...their "weekend celebration thinking they're in the clear" plan goes south. Good to see a former P.O. become a Police Officer. You know how tough our P.O. role can be. Talk about wearing all hats huh? Supervise, search, arrest, protect the community...yet try to motivate and rehabilitate at the same time. Talk about working in a grey area huh? It pretty cool to see a defendant change for the better, knowing you had a part in it. It's also nice going 10-15 with a dirtbag that doesn't give a Sh"t. Be safe out there on the streets. Thanks for the response.

[stalker3]

My department had a program where officers would "escort" a P/P agent on unscheduled home visits to high risk offenders. I loved it. Allowing the PO in for an inspection was a condition of probation or parole. We saw whatever the agent found. Another nice thing was that the agent could call a number and find out if the client's bracelet was home when we were about to pull up. I got a lot of arrests doing that.

[jdlong]

My department had a program where officers would "escort" a P/P agent on unscheduled home visits to high risk offenders. I loved it. Allowing the PO in for an inspection was a condition of probation or parole. We saw whatever the agent found. Another nice thing was that the agent could call a number and find out if the client's bracelet was home when we were about to pull up. I got a lot of arrests doing that.

Yeah, it's a shame more agencies don't work closer with County Probation Departments and Parole Agents. Glad to hear you found your program succesfull. As you know, the reality is that we work with the defendants on a daily basis. I'm hoping to put something together here in our county. I work with plenty of S.O. Deputies and local P.D. Officers on an informal basis. We share intel and conduct searches, make arrests, etc. A formal partnership would be great. With the exception of our narcotics task force, we don't have it. It's a win-win for both agencies, that's for sure. As you know, a Probation Officer or Parole Agent can open many doors without establishing PC and paper to enter. What you see is what you get after that. In return, Police Officers and Deputies can provide us with great intel in regrds to what our "outstanding citizens" are up to. Thanks for the reply. Be safe!