First Dual Certified Probation/Parole Officer Graduation is Set
September 18, 2012;
Atlanta, GA - The first class of dual certified probation and parole officers in
Georgia is set to graduate on September 27, 2012, at State Offices South in Forsyth. The 63
graduates of the first Basic Probation/Parole Officer Training Course (BPPOTC) will have Georgia
Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.) certification as probation/parole officers.
Fourteen of the officers will go to work for the Parole Board supervising a parole caseload. Parole
Board Chairman Albert Murray and Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens are scheduled
to speak to the graduating class.
Through the dual certification, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles and the Department of
Corrections eliminated the need for separate agency training courses. The training courses for both
groups of officers were combined eliminating duplication while giving all officers training
necessary to perform parole or probation supervision. Officers will only supervise offenders under
their respective agency’s authority, however, and must still follow the policies and procedures of
their employing agency which are different in some areas. Officers with the dual certification will
be able to transfer or take positions with the other agency without having to complete another
eight-week training course.
Other benefits of the dual certification include a much shorter wait time for parole officers
to attend the basic training course as there will be an increase from two to six classes per year.
This means hired parole officers will get into and complete a training course sooner and begin
supervising a parole caseload, eliminating a wait period after their initial hire.
Michael Nail, Executive Director of Parole, says, “the ability to train together and become a
probation/parole officer further establishes the strong community supervision already in place in
Georgia and increases public safety overall. This dual certification will strengthen the trust and
confidence each officer has in his or her counterpart as they carry out their duties in the
communities they serve,” added Nail. “The strong relationships developed over the last several
years with our law enforcement partners across the state will also be further strengthened through
improved community supervision of offenders.”
The eight week course work includes supervision techniques, investigation procedures,
intervention strategies, criminal and Georgia law, policy and procedure, interview skills, physical
fitness, arrest procedures, defensive tactics, computer interaction and firearms
qualification.
The Parole Board employs approximately 300 parole officers. Caseloads per officer average
75-85 parolees. Parole officers work to transition offenders back into the community using a
balanced approach of surveillance and treatment intervention. Parole officers make scheduled
and unscheduled visits to the parolees’ residences, employers and treatment providers to ensure
compliance with supervision conditions.
The graduation ceremony is planned for 1p.m., at Roberts Chapel at the Tift Campus, State
Offices South. Please contact the Parole Board's Public Affairs Office if you are planning to
attend.
To request an interview with Michael Nail, Executive Director of Parole, please
contact the Public Affairs Office.
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