Atlanta, GA– Eight new state parole officers graduated the eight week basic training course today, Friday, November 7, 2014. The graduation ceremony was held at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) in Forsyth. The new officers will be working in the following locations: Atlanta, Carrollton, Clarkesville, Dalton, Griffin, LaFayette, Lawrenceville and Statesboro, Georgia.

State Board of Pardons and Paroles Chairman Terry Barnard congratulated the new officers on completing their training and told them that they would be at times, “the only hope that some of these individuals (parolees) will have to chart a path for success.”

“The Board has every confidence that you will take charge and use these effective skills you have learned to successfully transition these individuals back into the community. Transition! It’s what we do, it’s who we are,” said Barnard.

The Basic Probation/Parole Officer Training Course (BPPOTC) is an eight week training course resulting in all new officers being certified as Probation/Parole Officers by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.).

The course work includes supervision techniques, investigation procedures, intervention strategies, Georgia law, policy and procedure, interview skills, physical fitness, arrest procedures, defensive tactics, computer interaction and firearms qualification.

The Parole Board employs approximately 300 officers. The average parole caseload of offenders is 88.

Georgia parole utilizes a “Virtual Office.” As a result, Georgia’s parole officers are supervising offenders in the community, full-time. The state vehicle serves as the parole office and is equipped with the latest technology. Parole officers no longer report to a physical office location.

This is the second class that the Parole Board’s basic training class has included Juvenile Probation/Parole Officers who work for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The class included five officers who work for DJJ.

For more information on the Parole Board please visit our website at www.pap.georgia.gov.

For more information on the Department of Juvenile Justice please visit www.djj.georgia.gov