Board adds Chief Probation Officer Andrea Brennan; pretrial certification and grant updates discussed

The advisory board unanimously approved a motion to add Chief Probation Officer Andrea Brennan to board membership by virtue of her office. The motion was made and seconded during the meeting; members voted "aye" with no opposition.

Chief Probation Officer Andrea Brennan introduced herself to the board and provided an update on pretrial work and staffing. "Good afternoon. I'm Andrea Brennan. I am your chief," she said, noting she had completed her first quarter on the job.

The board also discussed pretrial funding and certification. A speaker reported that the county—s pretrial grant through the Office of Court Services had a reduction of about $20,000 from what was requested but said local staff expected to manage within the reduced award. Board members emphasized that Office of Court Services grants are routed through the judicial branch and are separate from Department of Corrections allocations, meaning DOC cuts do not automatically apply to IOCS funding.

Probation operational numbers and certification status: Chief Brennan reported operational activity levels for pretrial reviews and said the office is in provisional certification and working toward full certification; she described plans for a site visit with support services and judges later in the summer to align on certification requirements. The chief said staffing recruitment is underway and that candidates were being interviewed.

Action taken: the board recorded the membership change by motion and vote; no other formal board votes were taken on certification or grant acceptance during the meeting.

Next steps: probation staff will proceed with scheduled site visits, continued certification work, and implementation of pretrial processes; the board will receive additional operational updates at future meetings.