Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week celebrated in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision (PPPS) Week is July 17-21, and to get the week started off, El Dorado County's Chief Probation Officer Brian Richart cooked a big breakfast for staff on Monday.

Richart's department is 122 strong with staff on both the west and east slopes of the county. Since 2014 Richart has cooked up a big breakfast for staff, and he will repeat what he did in South Lake Tahoe on Monday and again on Thursday on the West Slope.

"It's nice to be appreciated for what we do," said Supervising Deputy Probation Officer Vanessa Wood about leadership taking the time to recognize them. "It's a tough job."

Probation is about creating relationships with people and building trust, said Wood. She said only once their clients' basic needs are met can they be successful.

Richart said many don't understand what PPPS staff do on a daily basis. He said people see a badge and a gun and hear the word 'probation' but those things are a small aspect of the job.

"This is a noble profession and it's the connection and relationships," Richart said of what makes them successful. "We are effective only with solid relationships," he said.

Those in the probation field are a mix of about a dozen different professions including social work and policing. Richart said with a week like the PPPS Week, they can use education to inform the public about their roles in the community.

Richart said they follow a medically-based model of rehabilitation, accept what science says and implement it. He's been with El Dorado County since 2013, coming to the area after serving in Alameda County and Shasta County. He said the field was limited by policy and history, but by removing those barriers and just having the outer perimeter set, staff can thrive.

The result?

"The best probation department in California," said Richart.

On Monday afternoon, members of the Probation Department went to serve at Bread & Broth's Monday Meal. On Tuesday, the West Slope staff will have a blood drive and a proclamation will be read at the Board of Supervisor's meeting. On Wednesday there will be an awards banquet where staff is recognized by their peers for going above and beyond to help justice-involved individuals and the community. Thursday is the West Slope pancake breakfast with ice cream parties on Friday.

Proclamation of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors Recognizing July 16 through July 22, 2023, as “Probation Services Week”

WHEREAS, Probation utilizes an accountability lens to be a connector and bridge for justice-involved individuals to receive the individualized rehabilitative services they need to be successful; and
WHEREAS, Probation is an alternative to incarceration, and California Probation’s mission is to deliver a seamless approach to providing effective supervision and rehabilitation services to justice-involved individuals; and
WHEREAS, Probation professionals play a unique and essential role in our justice system and communities. Probation is focused on helping justice-involved individuals transition out of the system permanently through transformative and evidence-based rehabilitation; and
WHEREAS, Probation officers are trained experts prepared to manage trauma and other needs of justice-involved individuals and safely connect them to the resources they need; and
WHEREAS, California Probation officers are diverse, educated, and gender-equitable professionals focused on providing collaborative safety for our communities; and
WHEREAS, Probation connects services and needs to enhance community safety and the restoration of justice-involved individuals. Probation departments are a connector in the justice system: bridging the gap and maximizing the resources available within the courts, local
governments, law enforcement, social services, behavioral health, schools, crime survivor organizations, non-profits, and the community to reduce recidivism by carefully balancing direct human services and research-based deterrents and interventions; and
WHEREAS, Probation departments in California focus on supporting and advocating for policies that help justice-involved individuals transition back to our communities safely and apply an equity lens to ensure these policies will effectively address the diverse needs of the people Probation serves; and
WHEREAS, Probation’s efforts to balance the need for accountability with individualized rehabilitative treatment and services provide justice-involved individuals the support and opportunities needed to move onto a healthier and safer life pathway; and
WHEREAS, by delivering sustainable community safety, Probation departments have a profound impact on the health and safety of our communities by working to reduce recidivism through evidence-based programming and supervision. Probation's success ensures that our state's communities are safer for all Californians to live and prosper; and
WHEREAS, Probation professionals in El Dorado County have declared their Vision to be “Safe Communities Through Changed Lives”; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED, that the Board of Supervisors of the County of El Dorado recognizes July 16-22, 2023, as Probation Services Week to highlight Probation’s immense contributions to our communities and state.
Passed by the Board of Supervisors of the County of El Dorado at a regular meeting of said Board, held the 18th day of July 2023.