Probation Officers for Public Safety

Under the rubric of POs for Public Safety (POPS), Dallas County probation officers have put up a website supporting a half dozen candidates for local district judge slots.

I wouldn't normally mention a campaign website, but this one includes an excellent resource page concerning the need to strengthen probation, even including a couple of links to Grits posts. If you're interested in the subject, I'd encourage you to go check out the links.

The thrust of POPS gripe appears to be that high caseloads filled with nonviolent offenders are making it difficult or impossible to supervise more dangerous ones, a familiar refrain to Grits readers. POPS also complains that sitting judges in Dallas aren't meeting with law enforcement stakeholders through the Communicty Justice Council, as required under state law:

Texas Government Code 76.003 requires the judges to create a Community Justice Council, made up of representatives from the police department, school district, city council, sheriff’s department, state legislators, and county commissioners, to monitor the probation department’s effectiveness and provide policy guidance. The Community Justice Council has not met in at least three years to develop a meaningful plan. Source: Dallas Morning News, August 7, 2005

It's not unusual for public employees to participate in the electoral processes that affect them. I do find it interesting that POPS promotes so many of the same reforms - shortening probation lengths, strengthening supervision, focusing resources on more serious offenders - that the Legislature passed and Governor Perry vetoed last year.

The folks on the front lines of the probation system obviously know what the problems are - maybe they're right that this crop of judges would fix them. For my part, I wish the Governor had.