County Probation Department Bolsters Its Service with 64 New Officers
County Chief Probation Officer Mack Jenkins swore in 64 newly-hired and promoted officers Friday in part to help the department meet the challenge of the Public Safety Realignment Plan, which transfers responsibility of thousands of offenders from the state to the County.
The department has been in growth mode since last September. The new positions range from top management to middle management to senior and new officer positions. Some of the new officers will fill vacancies created by retirements and attrition.
“This is a new era of the San Diego County Probation Department. We will be transitioning with new management and new probation officers largely brought about by the Public Safety Alignment Plan,” Jenkins said. “Growth can be good for an organization and in this case, it is also essential to meet our goals. We have many new staff joining our department and our veteran staff in new positions. Our department has not had this much movement in many years, but we will manage it well.”
Since last July, the department has filled 71 positions to help meet this need.
In 2011, the state passed Assembly Bill 109, the Criminal Justice Realignment Act, which shifted responsibility of about 4,000 state offenders to the County. The County’s plan is to efficiently use jail capacity, improve and streamline felony settlement, offer alternative custody options when appropriate and use evidence-based supervision and intervention services for these offenders.
Realignment started in October 2011. During the first six months, the County has received 1,898 offenders and 1,594 remain under supervision. San Diego County ranks third among the counties receiving the most offenders from the state. The number of these offenders is approximately 22 percent higher than the numbers projected by the state. Of those offenders, 65 percent have been assessed as high risk to reoffend.
To inspire the ranks during the afternoon ceremony at the County Administration Center, Jenkins led the probation officers in the peace officer’s oath, reminding them publically of their commitment to protect the community and uphold the highest standards in their field. The oath is not just an administrative function, it is a promise to fulfill the department’s mission to protect the safety of the community, reduce crime and help victims by holding offenders accountable and guiding them through rehabilitation, he said.
The chief also read them a letter that had recently come to the office from a former probationer, who is now a college graduate. She was a former cocaine addict who was looking for her probation officer to thank him for working with her.
“‘I’m so grateful. I was saved from me. My probation officer was patient, kind and caring for me,'” said Jenkins reading from her letter. “This doesn’t sound like she saw him only as an enforcement officer who wanted to put her in jail … This is a perfect example. This is our opportunity every single day with every person you touch.”
The new positions include:
- Yvette Klepin will serve as the Assistant Chief Probation Officer and will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organization including adult, juvenile and institutional field services. She has worked for the County for 22 years. Previously, she worked for the Institutional Services unit.
- Michael Adkins will serve as the Deputy Chief Probation Officer assigned to Institutional Services. He has worked for the County for 24 years. Previously, he worked as a director for the supervision division at Juvenile Field Services.
- Kim Allen will serve as the Deputy Chief Probation Officer assigned to Juvenile Field Services. She has worked for the County for 23 years. Previously, she worked as a director at the North County Regional Center in Vista.
- Ken Worthington will serve as the Deputy Chief Probation Officer assigned to Adult Field Services. He has worked for the County for 27 years. Previously, he worked as a director for the Hall of Justice office.
- Heidi Barajas will serve as a director overseeing Camp Barrett and the Juvenile Ranch Facility. She has worked for the County for 27 years. Previously, she worked as a supervisor in Juvenile Field Services.
The department is also promoting 16 supervising probation officers, 22 senior probation officers and 21 deputy probation officers including 11 who are newly hired and recently completed the deputy probation officer core classes.
Jenkins said the department is still growing as the result of AB 109 and is going full speed ahead with the recruitment and hiring process to fill 75 new positions this fiscal year.