Recruiting strategy has parole agency shorthanded

Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 | 9:46 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A new strategy has been adopted by the state Division of Parole and Probation to prevent police agencies from recruiting highly trained workers, a practice that is leaving the state agency shorthanded.

Dick Kirkland, director of the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety, which oversees the parole division, told a legislative committee Thursday that parole has lost 534 workers over the last four years. The division has authorization for 479 positions.

"We're losing 100 (workers) a year," Kirkland said. At any given time, there are 40 to 50 vacancies.

As a result, each officer is supervising an average of 125 persons on parole or probation, instead of the 70 as suggested by the Legislature.

Asked by committee members what the ratio should be, Kirkland said in some cases such as sexual predators, an officer should have 20 to 30 cases. In nonviolent cases, Kirkland said the division might be able to use non-sworn officers.

To stop the large turnover, Kirkland said new employees are given 10 weeks instead of 16 weeks training. The higher level of training equips these individuals to go to work immediately for a police agency without any additional educational effort.

He said Category II training was more appropriate for parole officers than the higher Category I. "It won't be as easy for them to go to North Las Vegas (police department) or Metro (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)," Kirkland said.

The state spends anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000 giving these employees police officer training, he said.

Deputy Parole Chief Warren Lutzow said the division recently lost employees to the Clark County Juvenile Department, North Las Vegas Police and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

Lutzow also said the division has changed its policy on contacts with those on parole or probation. It was criticized by a legislative audit for conducting only 36 percent of the home visits as required. And the audit said there was not adequate supervision of those on parole.

But Lutzow said the officers will now visit these people "in the field" such as at work or other places, rather than at home.

The division was before the Legislative Audit Committee for a review on what progress it has made in adopting recommendations from a prior audit.

Legislative Auditor Rocky Cooper said the agency has made "significant improvement" since the examination. He said it has increased its revenues by some $500,000. This is the money collected from parolees and probationers to cover the cost of their supervision.

The previous audit estimates the division lost $800,000 by not collecting this fee in 1998.

The division supervises about 17,200 individuals.