I’m applying for a different state job than the shit show agency I’m at now.

State of Ohio Parole officer and have in interview in early September.

So anyone a state parole officer for Ohio or can give advice, good bad, or ugly on this

I’ve been out of the LE game for a while now. So I’m not sure about this. Posted below are some if not all of jthe job duties



Job Duties:

Under general supervision from Supervisor, oversees offenders.
Interviews, visits and observes offenders at residence/work site or other community locations.
Utilizes evidence based supervision practices to facilitate behavioral change in offenders.
Obtains certification in Ohio Risk Assessment System completes offender risk assessments as directed.
Interviews offenders and reviews documents, records, and reports to develop case plans in conjunction with offenders to address identified risk factors.
Maintains and reviews case plans with offenders throughout supervision period to gauge progress of established goals.
Provides individual and group advice by listening, speaking and providing written instructions to offenders.
Conducts visual and auditory surveillance which includes operating electronic monitor equipment as needed.
Performs drug testing by collecting and transporting specimens or using drug kit procedures when necessary and maintains a written chain of evidence from sample collection through testing and hearing process.
Conducts DNA testing as prescribed by statute.
Finds employment and vocational opportunities for offenders by making referrals to community service agencies.
Maintains contact with offender families, friends, employers and others by interviewing, observing behaviors and reviewing written documents and records.
Develops sound caseload management involving analysis of caseload and making necessary community referrals in order to make adjustments in offender activity.
Oversees caseload which requires special training to properly supervise substance abusers, drug offenders, sex offenders, special releasee and special needs offenders as needed.
Conducts and completes placement, arrest and violation investigations by interviewing individuals, reading and understanding technical information including medical, psychological, law enforcement and legal documents.
Completes, by operating personal computer, writing or dictating appropriate reports of investigations making correctional recommendations to be used in decisions of judges, parole administrators or parole board members in sentencing and revocation procedures.
Updates and uses records through use of field officer tools (FOT) to include recording offender case activity and officer activity.
Travel to offender homes, places of employment, jails and courts etc. by operating personal or state vehicle.
Prepares information and initiates packets for Parole Board Hearings.
Screens inmates to determine eligibility and makes recommendations for transfer into transitional control program.
Responds in writing to inmate inquiries (i.e. kites).
Conducts and completes clemency and other investigations by interviewing individuals, reading and understanding technical information including medical, psychological, law enforcement and legal documents.
Completes, by operating personal computer, writing or dictating appropriate reports of investigations to be used in decisions and/or recommendations of parole board members.
Facilitates special hearings (i.e. clemency, full board ) when needed.
Completes, by operating personal computer, writing or dictating, and delivers written arrest, hold and release orders.
Secures and delivers search warrants and subpoenas to jails and law enforcement, correctional and court agencies.
Pursues declared violators-at-large, arrests violators and conducts search and seizure of contraband which involves walking, running, climbing, crawling, bending, stooping, lifting or using force such as applying unarmed self-defense techniques or using restraining devices like handcuffs, belly chains or leg irons and OC spray/pepper gas as needed.
Develops and presents cases at revocation hearings.
Collects evidence.
Organizes written documents, records and reports.
Examines and cross examines witnesses.
Testifies as required.
Operates personal or state vehicle to transport witnesses or violators or other releases.
Provides work direction and trains staff as necessary through conducting orientation of new staff, on-the-job training and in-service training.
Completes, by operating personal computer, writing or dictating, lesson plans and documents training activities.
Oversees outpost office which consists of two to three less experienced staff as required.
Completes, by operating personal computer, writing or dictating, background investigations on prospective employees.
Develops sound working relations with community agencies, citizen groups and criminal justice agencies to secure community resources for benefit of clients.
Writes or dictates speeches and presentations for authorized speaking engagements.
Participates on community councils and committees.
Functions on an inter-agency level as coordinator with halfway houses and prevention programs.
Acts as liaison with state hospitals to accomplish appropriate level of services for clients.
Presents pre-release programs at penal institutions from written presentation guide or lesson plan.
Travels to and participates in staff meetings, conferences and training session.
Must conduct themselves professionally, and in a law-abiding manner, at all times and in accordance with Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Standards of Employee Conduct.

Not a Ohio State employee, the use of personal vehicle and computer did get my attention though, doesn't seem the norm for State jobs, at least around here. Would be a lot of paperwork for fuel, mileage, expenses.

A lot of job duties for a 40hr workweek!

They think you should use your personal vehicle to transport parolees? Hard pass.
Based on the description of the duties involved, I would accept employment if:
Pay is 250K per year. Issued take home car. Fully paid medical, prescription and dental coverage. Deferred compensation plan and pension. 500K fully paid death benefit if death occurs on duty.
I could be had, but I aint cheap!

You mentioned "being out of LE a while", but based on that job description, this does not appear to be a LE position... This sounds like a non-LE-certified, social-worker-style parole officer position.

(Parole officers as LE varies from state to state, and even position to position within states.)

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

You mentioned "being out of LE a while", but based on that job description, this does not appear to be a LE position... This sounds like a non-LE-certified, social-worker-style parole officer position.

(Parole officers as LE varies from state to state, and even position to position within states.)

Many years ago, before I met my wife, I dated a young woman in NYC. On our first date, I did not yet know what she did for a living. We came out of the restaurant where we had dinner and saw a cop getting ready to write a ticket for my car, the parking meter had run out. She said to me, "Wait here for a minute," walked over to the cop, opened her purse, he looked in it and they chatted for a minute or two, and the cop left without writing the ticket.

She came back to where I was waiting, told me everything was OK. I asked her what she had shown the cop. It was a badge and a gun. She was a P.O.

A lot would depend on how big of a caseload they would expect you to carry.

I can't fathom any agency expecting you to use a personal vehicle to transport. Liability for injuries, you would need to notify your insurance company your vehicle is used in business, pissed off paroles kicking out your windows, no cage to separate them from you. The list could go on for a long time.

Duties lnclude "arrests violators" and "using force such as applying unarmed self-defense techniques or using restraining devices like handcuffs, belly chains or leg irons and OC spray/pepper gas as needed."

Maybe I missed it, and I am sure someone will point it out if I did, but no where did I see anything about you being able to carry a sidearm (as a part of your official duties.) That would be a deal breaker if you can only use pepper spray etc.

Looks like another shit show.

quote:

"using force such as applying unarmed self-defense techniques or using restraining devices like handcuffs, belly chains or leg irons and OC spray/pepper gas as needed."

Probably why the job is open...

What's the starting pay?

The scene from Straight Time with Dustin Hoffman of him hand cuffing his parole officer to the highway fencing comes to mind from the descriptions given above.

Ok everyone calm down about the vehicle. Lots of that is driving to a meeting then home or home to a meeting then to the office. You won’t be transportation for the criminals.

Pay is roughly the same as I’m at now per our contract.

No it’s not an LEnposition

Case load is what I’m concerned about. And if there is OT

My aunt was a Fla probation officer for 30 as a thankless job.

As a cop I saw the local probation guys a lot. doing arrests for problem criminals who should have never have gotten out of prison.in court trying to send people back, etc. Several of them worked more hours than us cops did. They were NC DPS and sworn but could only arrest probationers.

No way would I want that job, I’d rather be a street cop.

A trooper who was recruiting me said ,” if you gotta do 30 years, you might as well be a trooper-wrecks and speeding tickets and if you want you can work the state fair” he pointed out they didn’t respond to calls for service, didn’t umpire Pookey and Ray-ray’s domestics, or all the other BS cops do. He was right.

Great film. If you are impatient fast forward to two minutes.

I am not in Ohio. I do Internal Affairs investigations on probation officers, parole officers, prison and jail officers, and anyone else who works in a corrections setting.

I would say that being a parole or probation officer is for someone young and starting out as it is a thankless job and requires you to work and be on-call at all hours of the day. It is not an 8-5 job.

The posting speaking of the use of personal vehicle and computer is a big no in my book. I have a take home vehicle and all agency issued equipment to do my job.

All that said, if it is something that draws you, then give it a shot.

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
Looks like another shit show.

You took the words right out of my mouth. That job description...good grief.

quote:

Originally posted by ThankGod4Sig:
Ok everyone calm down about the vehicle. Lots of that is driving to a meeting then home or home to a meeting then to the office. You won’t be transportation for the criminals.

Pay is roughly the same as I’m at now per our contract.

No it’s not an LEnposition

Case load is what I’m concerned about. And if there is OT

Well according to this line it seems very possible that you could be transporting a violator in your vehicle.

quote:

Operates personal or state vehicle to transport witnesses or violators or other releases.

And unarmed home visits on top of that. Would be a big No Thank You for me.

Hit me up. Friend of ours did this and now does something different. Might be able to get yours number to them

I was a county probation officer in a small, mainly rural, upstate NY county from 1978-82. It was my first "real" job out of college. We too used POVs for transport of non-violent offenders to juvenile detention, that was explained to me in the interview. We were paid for mileage. Violent or dangerous juveniles (rare for us back then) got transported by the Sheriff's Dept.

We did home visits. I could have gotten a permit to carry from the county judge, but at the time was 1) not a gun guy, and 2) poor.

I got "burnt out" in four years, I got tired of generations of low life, non-violent, but unable - or maybe unwilling - to make any effort to better themselves. FWIW, my clients were 99 44/100% white trash.

I quit to pump gas, thankfully I was single with no college loans.