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Probation staff say officer cell phones are aging; radios and training raise logistics concerns
Summary
Staff discussed replacing six-year-old officer cell phones, alternatives such as portable radios and walkie-talkies, training and bandwidth issues, and using old phones for client-monitoring programs like Reconnect; the meeting raised budget and operational implications for serving a 2,400-square-mile circuit.
Chair and staff spent extended time on communications and field safety. The chair noted the current phones "have had these phones since February 2021. So the next February, they're gonna be 6 years old," and said the devices serve multiple operational roles beyond voice: email, hotspots and remote monitoring. He raised the question of whether funds could be obtained from the flood safe fund but cautioned that radios require bandwidth and training and that probation officers are not trained as police officers.
Panel members emphasized the circuit's wide geography — roughly 2,400 square miles — and described field safety protocols: officers generally go in pairs with a 'main officer' and a 'cover officer' who watches surroundings and places emergency calls if necessary. Susan reiterated the two-officer protocol and existing procedures for notifying law-enforcement backup when needed. The group did not adopt a funding solution at the meeting; staff said budget lines will be adjusted and discussed in forthcoming presentations to law and justice bodies.
