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Orange County board recognizes Probation Services Week; chief highlights seizures and wellness programs
Summary
The Board of Supervisors honored probation staff during Probation Services Week on July 23. Chief Probation Officer Daniel Hernandez described recent enforcement figures and described peer-support and mentorship programs tied to the county's OC CARES reentry initiative.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors on July 23 recognized Probation Services Week and heard remarks from Chief Probation Officer Daniel Hernandez about the department's dual roles in enforcement and rehabilitation.
"You may not know, we operate in this world of this entire spectrum... we seized 55 firearms this last year. We also seized 438 other weapons off the streets," Hernandez said, describing the department's public-safety work alongside mentoring and reentry services. He told the board the department combines law-enforcement functions with "peer mentorship" and evidence-based programs to reduce recidivism.
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento (2nd District) thanked the probation officers and their teams for "helping those in our community that are justice impacted" and praised the county's OC CARES initiative as part of a broader criminal-justice reform effort the county is phasing in next year.
Hernandez emphasized staff wellness as a component of effective supervision: "Wellness isn't just a buzzword... keeping ourselves as officers in a good place is essential to the good services that we provide." He described a peer-support framework and a mentorship program that staff say helps retention and career advancement.
The board presented a signed recognition and invited the department for a group photo; remarks and the presentation took place before the board moved into its regular agenda.
