Probation Celebrates a Year of Change at All-Hands Event

Chances are you’ve had to tackle big change at some point in your career with the County.  For our colleagues in the Probation Department, intense change has been—paradoxically—a constant for over a year.

Assembly Bill 109, aka Public Safety realignment, took effect in October 2011. Since then, the new set of laws has altered the work and focus of Probation employees— dramatically, for some. (Ditto for the many DA, Public Defender, Sheriff and HHSA employees also affected by realignment.)

Last week at its annual all-hands meeting, the Probation Department finally got a chance to collectively consider its accomplishments and let fly some celebratory and cathartic wooooo-hoos while drinking in high praise from County leaders for the department’s progress so far.

“I’m really proud of the work you do,” a beaming Chairman Greg Cox said to the hundreds of Probation employees gathered at the Scottish Rite Center in Mission Valley.

He reminded staff that top officials set the policies for Public Safety realignment and other County initiatives, but it’s the people who do the job every day who really determine whether the efforts succeed.

“Ultimately, it’s not the leaders, it’s the boots on the ground,” Chairman Cox told them. “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank you.”

“It’s really a statement when the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors takes the time out to come and speak with you,” Chief Probation Officer Mack Jenkins said to his staff after the Chairman’s remarks.

Under realignment, one of the biggest changes for the Probation Department is probation officers now supervise felons released from state prison—previously the exclusive job of State Parole. The department has had to quickly create a new division and bring on new behavioral health services to supervise and help rehabilitate these serious offenders; hire, promote, train  and reassign staff; and of course carry on and excel in traditional efforts like supervising juvenile offenders. All with the incredibly high stakes of protecting the public and helping adults and kids change their lives.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis connected instantly with her audience at the all-hands event with a lighthearted take on the complicated work of implementing AB109, a set of laws that runs hundreds of pages.

“Is there anyone here who really understands AB109?” DA Dumanis cracked. Probation staff laughed and played along, keeping arms at their sides as the DA scanned the room for a single raised hand.

“If you don’t think you know what it is, relax,” she continued. “As I like to say, we’re building the plane while we’re flying it.” 

One of the ways County leaders and the public will judge realignment’s success is by whether the Probation Department can help turn around more career criminals around than State Parole did.

Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Ron Lane, General Manager of the Public Safety Group, said that probation officers and other staff members will ultimately be responsible for the challenge.

“The battle is really in the one on one interaction each of you has with the individual,” Lane said.

Lane, like the other speakers, left employees applauding and enthusiastic about that challenge with his praise of their recent efforts. 

“This has been a big year; last year we didn’t know what would happen,” Lane said. “I’m very proud of the work that’s occurred.”

Chief Jenkins was the final speaker to laud his staff.

“Last year I challenged our department to ‘Rise to the Occasion’ in anticipation of the impact of AB109 and Public Safety Realignment, and we clearly have...”

The Probation Department also honored the following employees with Chief’s awards as Employees of the Year in their respective services areas at the event:

Elainerose Lontoc

Eva Ramos

Tracy Landry

Sharon Moffett

Alejandro Leos

Charlene Cesena

Tabatha Wilburn

Nikki Horton

Additionally two employees, one sworn officer and one non-sworn employee received the department’s Award of Excellence:

Senior Probation Officer Leticia Bombardier

Administrative Secretary Lucy Tatoy