Corrections Community

jthune, MRP seems to be more of a reality in more urban settings due to the available resources, it is still a work in progress, but should be very beneficial as time goes by.

According to state law it the probation & parole officer who issues arrest warrants and makes the arrests. The officer may deputize any other officer to make the arrest also. This applies to both probationers and parolees. http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C200-299/2170000720.HTM and http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C200-299/2170000722.HTM

Statute gives us the authority. We do issue our own warrants but we call the police or local sheriff to come arrest the offenders in the office.

MFoley, While I began my career in Kansas City, I last worked in the eastern portion of the state. One of my friends is a DA in one of the larger offices in St. Louis as is an Officer. Yes, unfortunately the Manual is "interpreted" differently not only in different regions, but between districts. Our edict came from our RA/PPA, maybe you are high enough to ignore it, but I wasn't. St. Louis offices do much more group work and night reporting than we did. Our Officers could not work beyond "core office hours". When I was an Officer I was told to stop working nights or weekends, so I became a Supervisor. Mention was made of Officers issuing warrants and I had to laugh as this is done so rarely anymore and can only be done with the approval of a Supervisor and under such limited circumstances as to be inconsequential. The last arrest I made was in 1995 and just try to "deputize" someone to make an arrest. The courts have consistently held that a P&P warrant is sufficient to arrest and hold, but a LEO cannot be compelled to serve it and make an arrest. For those who have been around a while, MRP is really not a new concept as it was used in the 70's at Renz Farm and it was called a pre release center. Remember also Community Sentencing, ISP, CRMT, House Arrest and any number of specialized caseloads and approaches. Heck at one time Broken Windows was the coming thing. I am glad you have such enthusiasm and that I am out, we are probably were we should be and good luck.

Why don't you do your own arrests? State law authorizes it. The LEO whom you deputize is acting under the authority of a warrant that you issue. What if local law enforcement is too busy to make the arrest? Or simply isn't interested? What then? Where is public safety?

Crosstimbers Okie, Because the Manual of Operations prohibits it. The Chief State Supervisor and Executive Committee have been progressively more liberal and over time stripped the ability to do search and seizure, true surveillance and arrests. In spite of the legal authority to be armed it was flatly prohibited. In 1995 we had to get the legislature to pass laws forcing the Department to allow Officers to be armed. Law Enforcement Officers routinely ignore P&P warrants and this does place the public at increased risk. In all fairness, most Officers have no law enforcement experience and would need additional training to be able to perform such functions, but even those who are POST certified are prohibited.

Forgive my ignorance. But isn't a probationer or parolee legally a person who is in custody just like an inmate in a jail or prison? If so, what's the difference between putting them in handcuffs and in a cell whether they be in a P&P office or within the perimeter fence of a state prison? Warrant. A warrant requires Probable Cause to be issued. In order for the warrant to be valid, it has to meet a PC standard as does a warrant issued by a judge I presume. The legal and technical work is done with the issuing of the warrant. The legal issues ARE what require training and knowledge, not the simple mechanical task of taking someone into a more restrictive level of custody. Now, there could be issues relating to not having the right equipment for a specific circumstance, or enough manpower. But those are issues that every law officer faces. That's why different agencies cooperate, because different agencies have different capabilities. But none seem willing to surrender their core functions simply because they don't have the capability to handle every situation. How does Missouri DOC get away with evading the basics of its mission??? KCPO, you should visit WWW.PrisonOfficer.Org. We have a community corrections section and we need people who are knowledgeable in that area. We had a former Oklahoma Probation & Parole Officer, but she seems to have fallen off of the face of the Earth.

Crosstimbers Okie, You raise some very valid points that I have also brought to the fore without success. All of this comes from our very liberal Executive Committee, many of whom came out of St. Louis. Even the Regional Administrator who is in charges of the Southeast Region of the state which is all rural lives in St. Louis. I have butted heads with people all the way to the top without any luck as have many others. The Executive Committee is in charge developing Policy and Procedure and this is the direction they have chosen for many years. The choice is live with it or leave; I chose retirement, but I did work six years beyond my eligibility date, but it got to the point that I did not feel we were serving the citizens of this state effectively and public safety was being sacrificed in the interests of economics and a liberal approach to holding offenders accountable for their actions. While I oppose the philosophy and direction of the Department, there are very many who are on board with it and very enthusiastic, so I may very well be out of step and since I am retired, it is all a moot point and those who are still there will be better able to address these issues with up to date information and experience. In spite of my present disagreements, I am proud to have been an employee of the Division and enjoyed my job for many years. I will now devote my time to my grandchildren, Harley, Grizzly, Rhino, Kubota and farms with fully stocked ponds, reforestation, wildlife management and an occasional trip out to my firing range; not a bad life.

These days with shrinking Corrections budgets, community supervision will likely become the sanction of choice for many crimes and types of criminals. These are issues that need to be addressed and that the Public needs to be aware of BEFORE a preventable incident causes a loss of confidence. Managing criminals requires both an effective carrot and an effective stick. One's no good without the other. It sounds to me like Missouri DOC may suffer from a very long carrot and a very short stick. As a resident of Missouri, I want better protection.

are you a parole officer?

are you a parole officer?

Edward98108:

are you a parole officer?

I am.

I was an Officer as well as Lead Unit Supervisor, but I am now retired after 33 years, so you probably can discount all my posts. Good luck to those still there or choose to become employed there.

KCPO....You are a hoot! ! We need more Officers like you back in DOC! I agree with the post that people that are wanting to enter Probation and Parole in Missouri should know what the job entails before they are hired. As not only an Officer but a resident of Missouri, I worry about my safety and my family's safety due to the decisions the department has made. Well before the present economic crisis, the department was moving away from supervision of offenders. You can come up with as many programs as you want, the backbone of P/P are the Officers that actually supervise offenders. You can't do that if most of the offenders are on minimum supervision and calling in by phone. You don't have public safety when you disband the Fugitive Unit that was actually out there arresting absconders and high profile offenders. You cannot hold offenders accountable for their behavior or respond to their behavior when you do not have contact with them! Hopefully things will change again one day.... I think there are a lot of Officers out there and supervisors that should be questioning their own ethics. First and foremost, we should be about public safety. However, we don't seem to have a cohesive voice and if we speak out, we are viewed as disloyal or troublemakers, So the department is dominated by those that conform to whatever Jeff City is selling at the time. .