Recent News

FPPOA is proud to announce a training opportunity provided by The Innocent Justice Foundation : Building Healthy Support Systems and a Family Action Plan. This is an interactive virtual presentation that will examine the need and benefits of establishing a strong, healthy support system for individuals who are routinely exposed to vicarious trauma and traumatic stress in the course of their day-to-day work.

FPPOA members have the first opportunity to sign up for this training. Following member sign-up, the training will be open to all USPO staff. Space is limited.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
Western District of North Carolina
Probation & Court Services Office
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
Job Announcement Number: 21-07

Position Title: UNITED STATES PROBATION OFFICER - SUPERVISION

Position Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

Open Date: April 22, 2021
Closing Date: May 6, 2021 (Close of business - 5:00 p.m.)

Complete applications should be submitted via e-mail to hr@ncwp.uscourts.gov by close of business on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. All application materials should be sent as a single PDF document. The application form AO-78 is available at www.ncwp.uscourts.gov. Please reference Job Announcement # 21-07.
The United States Probation and Court Services Office for the Western District of North Carolina is recruiting for a U.S. Probation Officer (Supervision) in our Charlotte, NC divisional office.

http://www.ncwp.uscourts.gov/employment

Job Announcement Number: 21-08
Position Title: UNITED STATES PROBATION OFFICER – COURT SERVICES

Position Location: Charlotte / Statesville, North Carolina
Open Date: April 22, 2021
Closing Date: May 6, 2021 (Close of business - 5:00 p.m.)
The United States Probation and Court Services Office for the Western District of North Carolina is recruiting for a U.S. Probation Officer (Court Services). This position will be responsible for cases in the Charlotte and Statesville offices.

Complete applications should be submitted via e-mail to hr@ncwp.uscourts.gov by close of business on Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. All application materials should be sent as a single PDF document. The application form AO-78 is available at www.ncwp.uscourts.gov. Please reference Job Announcement # 21-07.

Job Announcement Number: 21-06

Position Title: Data Quality Analyst
Starting Salary: CL 25 $43,297 - $70,355 (Charlotte, Hickory or Statesville)
CL 25 $42,747 - $69,462 (Asheville)
(Depending on Qualifications)
*This position can be promoted to a CL 26 – CL 27 without further competition.
Grade Level: CL 25 – CL 27
Position Location: Charlotte, Statesville, Hickory, or Asheville North Carolina
Open Date: April 21, 2021
Closing Date: May 5, 2021 (Close of business - 5:00 p.m.)

The United States Probation & Court Services Office for the Western District of North Carolina is recruiting for a Data Quality Analyst. The Data Quality Analyst assists in ensuring the integrity and efficiency of the PACTS system for the US Probation Office. This position will provide user assistance and training as needed. This position may be stationed in any office within the Western District of North Carolina. This is not a law enforcement officer position.

Continuing the Federal Probation and Pretrial Officers' Association Wellness Wednesday series, FPPOA has partnered with The Innocent Justice Foundation to provide a training series focused on wellness. IJF’s foundational training program for vicarious trauma and stress is called SHIFT (Supporting Heroes In Mental Health Foundational Training).

Join us for Optimism and Purpose

March 17, 2021

Registration required

Attached is FEDS very first quarterly newsletter

We are deeply saddened to hear that the Federal Bureau of Investigations lost two agents this morning in the line of duty. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved during this extremely difficult time. We wish the agents who were wounded during this horrible tragedy a speedy recovery

FPPOA is partnered with Marist College. Marist has moved the spring 2021 start date a little further out in time, and students can still submit applications for the Spring 2021 semester start. See link for flyer.

This video provides suggested tips when completing an application for U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer. The information may not be applicable in all federal judicial districts. This information is designed only to assist in one's journey.

On this Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, FPPOA wishes to thank all for their dedication and service.

Welcome to the 2021-2022 FPPOA National Board!

September is Suicide Prevention Month. FPPOA would like to share the below information from the AO Wellness Committee, as well a link to training provided by our academy.

Did you know that participation in the 2020 Census determines how much federal funding goes to communities to support critical services – like law enforcement funding, crime victims' assistance, and programs which serve victims of domestic and sexual violence, among others – for the next ten years?

July 19 through 25 is Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week! Let us take a moment to first simply define community supervision.

https://www.marist.edu/federal-probation-pretrial-officers

Looking for a retired U.S. Probation Officer identification, please see the information below.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow federal law enforcement officers, customs and border protection officers, and firefighters to make penalty-free withdrawals from their tax-exempt employee benefit and pension plans after they reach age 50.

By the Numbers is a recurring column by the Judiciary Data and Analysis Office (JDAO) discussing data on the workload of the Judiciary. The focus of this column alternates among trends in filings in the appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. Sometimes a court-by-court analysis is provided.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Canton police detective Bryan Allen watched a video on his computer that disturbed him so much that he left work and went home to process what he saw.

FPPOA has received several inquiries from its members asking how they could help those effected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. We have recently been in touch with Chief Shane Ferguson, Eastern District of Texas, who has sent out the below email and link. If you would like to assist, this below link will help those officers and staff directly effected by the hurricane.

This is the annual celebration of our system, with the goal of raising awareness about the work community corrections professionals do every day.

Please note, as of April 26, 2019, the FPPOA NTI 2019 registration is closed, as we've reached our maximum number of attendees. If a district would like to be placed on a waiting list, please email National President, Craig Penet. We may be opening more spaces for attendees in the next couple of weeks. Thank you all for your support to FPPOA.

Sometimes, bad things happen to good federal officers. Are you emotionally, financially and legally prepared to defend yourself if you are the subject of an allegation in the performance of your job duties? FEDS Protection can help.

Bad things happen to good, conscientious, hardworking federal employees. Far too many of you still think you are immune to allegations of wrongdoing, regardless of how many times we reinforce the need to have professional liability insurance. Unfortunately, ignorance is expensive.

Tis the season, we are entering that time of year! During this occasion we are enjoying gift giving and festive gatherings with family and friends. This time of year brings highs and lows of the holiday season. For many, the holidays can represent levels of stress that can be difficult to manage. Stress can be a result of financial expectations and obligations, as well as other hopes of the holidays from friends and family.

FPPOA encourages members to determine if their federal income tax withholding may need adjustment.

The beauty of autumn is remarkable here in the Midwest, even if the daily temperature will not get over 60 degrees for six months. People can enjoy outdoor activities such as hunting and hay rides, which both include hot apple cider and donuts (yum). Also, if you pay attention on October 31, you may be able to observe real angels, ballerinas, zombies, ghouls, ghosts, and superheroes walking the streets requesting sweet treats.

This week’s WELLNESS WEDNESDAY’s article is focusing on "Work Life Balance." I know, I know "Work Life Balance" has been the hot catch phrase over the past few years. However, for a lot of people the concept of "Work Life Balance" is just that, a concept.

Saturday, September 22, 2018 marks the thirty-second anniversary of Thomas Gahl's line-of-duty death in the Southern District of Indiana. USPO Gahl died performing a home contact during which the offender ambushed Tom while armed with a shotgun.

Election season is once again upon us! It is time for those of you in the Southeast and Northeast Regions to elect your regional presidents. The national officers are also up for election this year (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer).

Earlier this year, FPPOA conducted a survey to gather information from the field. A series of questions was developed to obtain information on topics FPPOA hears about from its members, as well as non-members. In no way was this survey a professional, long term, “survey company/academic” approach to gathering information. It was simply a series of questions to gather information from the field.

FPPOA is excited to announce the next National Training Institute (NTI) will be held in Tucson, Arizona at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Hotel from August 25 to 28, 2019. The board is already in the planning process and are ready to host 500 officers for this training, which will include having the entire hotel solely for our conference. Please mark your calendar! Registration will begin in the spring.

CDC Alert: Rising Numbers of Deaths Involving Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs, Including Carfentanil, and Increased Usage and Mixing with Non-opioids

Recently, FEDS conducted a Professional Liability Insurance Webinar designed specifically for FPPOA members. In this webinar, FEDS explained the liability exposures of Federal Probation and Pretrial Services Officers, the coverage provided by FEDS professional liability insurance, and general reimbursement guidelines. Below is a link to that recent webinar, in the event you were unable to attend.

On any given day, 7 percent of the estimated 2.3 million people incarcerated in U.S. jails are men and woman who served in our armed forces

Here is an article describing the potential for under-withholding throughout 2018, due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which would result in an individual having to pay the IRS a year from now when they complete their 2018 return instead of receiving a refund.

On February 15, 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017. It has a long way to go to become law, but would have significant effects on federal sentencing, imprisonment (judicial parole), a number of sentencing reductions with retroactivity, new requirements for PSIRs, and reporting requirements on our system.

July 15 through 21, 2018 is Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week. If you recall your “Introduction to Criminal Justice” classes from college, you’ll remember that John Augustus, a boot maker and resident of Boston, is recognized as the “Father of Probation” and the first probation officer in the United States.

The Federal Court Clerks Association is pleased to announce that we have opened registration for our 3rd annual Antietam Training opportunity for all Court Unit Executives and Chief Deputies entitled “Leadership Lessons of Antietam, A Leadership Workshop for Court Teams.” The FCCA is sponsoring a two-and-a-half-day leadership workshop that will be held June 4th through June 7th in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Please open the attachments for more information, including information on how to register.

Since the hurricanes swept through Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, FPPOA has received several emails and calls asking if we would be collecting funds to support our offices on those islands. Historically, the Association has voted to not collect funds for such events, and the board has recently decided the same again.

NIC and CCCN are creating a DVD based training program designed to highlight effective community reintegration practices that will promote behavior change and recidivism reduction, enhance public safety, and save taxpayer dollars.

The passage of the House budget resolution is one small step in a long and complicated legislative process that may spark significant changes to the current federal retirement system.

Probation and parole officers must balance the needs of sex offenders with community safety

For the second time in three days, law enforcement officers in Cincinnati had to be rushed to the hospital.

At the upcoming NTI in Championsgate, Florida, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase t-shirts containing the FPPOA logo. These shirts were printed by Turning Leaf of Charleston, South Carolina.

Police officers exposed to a deadly synthetic opioid tell their story in a warning issued by the DEA on June 6, 2017 by Acting administrator Chuck Rosenberg.

Join FEDS President Anthony Vergnetti in an educational webinar on professional liability insurance for Federal Probation & Pretrial Officers.

Great new benefit announced for FPPOA members! FPPOA has partnered with Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York who offers a Master Degree in Public Administration. As you will see by the attached document and link, this program has been utilized by many law enforcement agencies and many U.S. Probation Officers in the northeast.

National Law Enforcement Officers Week is this week, with May 15th designated as National Law Enforcement Officers Day. This year, one of our own was honored in a ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Memorial and at the Thurgood Marshal Federal Judicial Building in D.C.

Myths & Facts - Using Risk and Need Assessments to Enhance Outcomes and Reduce Disparities in the Criminal Justice System

On March 22, 2017, the “Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2017” passed the House Judiciary Committee. This closed a statutory "loophole" which previously did not include an authorization under 18 U.S.C. §§ 3154 and 3603 for probation officers to supervise civilly committed sexually dangerous persons who had been granted conditional release. The following was posted on the JNET.

Did you know that FEDS LEOSA coverage was created in response to concerns initially brought about by probation and pretrial officers? In 2011, FEDS received calls from officers concerned that agency authority would not extend to actions after hours if the need arose to protect themselves or their family.

Washington, D.C.—Today, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the Probation Officer Protection Act of 2017—a bill that will protect probation officers and enhance their ability to do their job by giving them authority to arrest a third party who forcibly interferes with an officer’s performance of his or her official duties.

2017 has brought some changes to the board of the Federal Probation and Pretrial Officers Association (FPPOA): new board members and a new enthusiasm. So often you hear, “We need you as a member,” and so many times we as a board hear “what is FPPOA doing?” Well, here is what is actively going on right now.

The 8th National Training Institute (NTI) was held August 20 through 23, 2017, in Championsgate, Florida. Information regarding the NTI event may still be be found on the NTI website.

Smart Supervision: Reducing Prison Populations, Saving Money, and Creating Safer Communities (Competitive Grant Announcement)

N-DEx is an unclassified national information sharing system that enables criminal justice agencies to search, link, analyze, and share local, state, tribal, and federal records.

Where the Community Corrections Field Is Going and What It Needs to Get There

The FPPOA has received a response from the OPM regarding the security breach.

Over the past few days, thousands of federal prisoners have been leaving confinement early and returning to their communities — the result of changes to sentencing guidelines for drug-related crimes.

October 13 - 15, 2015 - The only conference focused exclusively on women and girls in the criminal justice system.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced the results of the interagency forensics investigation into a recent cyber incident involving Federal background investigation data and the steps it is taking to protect those impacted. Throughout this investigation, OPM has been committed to providing information in a timely, transparent and accurate manner. As information has become available and verifiable, the agency has updated Congress, the Inspector General, Federal employee representatives, and - most importantly - those that are affected. Today’s announcement is the latest in this series of updates, and OPM will continue to provide additional information going forward.

Recently the FPPOA sent a formal letter to Director Archuleta of the US Office of Personel Management regarding the recent data breach and compromise of sensitive information.

Could this be the year that lawmakers really begin to dismantle the system of mass incarceration that they have been building for decades? It seems conceivable, thanks to a surge in interest from elected officials at the state and federal level, as well as an “unlikely” coalition of left- and right-wing groups that announced its formation on Thursday.

The Federal Probation and Pretrial Officers Association and the District of Arizona were proud to host the 7th National Training Institute August 23-26, 2015, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Newly Released - Behavior Management of Justice-Involved Individuals: Contemporary Research and State-of-the-Art Policy and Practice

Good intentions are only the starting place for good legislation.

A felon desperate to be thrown back in prison got two knives into Detroitï's federal courthouse as part of a plan to kill his probation officer and a judge before changing his mind, according to a criminal complaint filed today.

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and the Center for Effective Public Policy are pleased to announce the release of NICs publication, Dosage Probation: Rethinking the Structure of Probation Sentences

Healthcare Not Handcuffs, Putting the Affordable Care Act to Work for Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Reform

In November 2010, Steven Vargas, a federal probation officer in New York, received a call from a detective in Minnesota. Police in St. Paul had arrested 24-year-old Douglas Luke Robinette, who had confessed to producing child pornography and distributing it via email.

The United States is the world's leader in incarceration with 2.2 million people currently in the nation's prisons or jails - a 500% increase over the last forty years. Changes in sentencing law and policy, not changes in crime rates, explain most of this increase. These trends have resulted in prison overcrowding and fiscal burdens on states to accommodate a rapidly expanding penal system, despite increasing evidence that large-scale incarceration is not an effective means of achieving public safety.

MIDWEST CITY, Oklahoma -- Police say an Oklahoma probation officer was beaten and then shot dead on a neighborhood street Friday in Midwest City.

TAMPA - As Congress prepares to debate continued sequestration of the federal budget, court officials say cuts to their budgets have already jeopardized public safety and further expected budget slashing will make things worse.

During FPPOA's visit with Assistant Director Matt Rowland in May, National President Karin Storm and Northeast Regional President Craig Penet discussed the protection of probation and pretrial officers, specifically as it relates to the filing of false liens and threats. Assistant Director Rowland provided FPPOA with the following information, to pass along to all in the system.

Bicycle ride in honor of fallen officers

Eunice Habig, FPPOA National Treasurer has resigned. Eunice has been the National Treasurer since 2009. She has been a wonderful asset to FPPOA and she will be missed. In Eunice's place, Leigh Swicord (Middle District of Georgia) has been appointed by the FPPOA Board as her replacement. Leigh will continue her role as the Newsletter Editor and will work in conjunction with Elizabeth "Beth" Thomas, who was also appointed by the FPPOA Board, as the Co-Newsletter Editor.

Effective February 1, 2013, FPPOA in conjunction with FEDS is pleased to offer all current FPPOA members one yearly half-hour consultation with an attorney on any employment related matter at no cost. This will be upon verification of your FPPOA membership status, prior to scheduling the consultation.

On November 30, 2012, Maurice Foy, U.S. Probation Officer for the Eastern District of North Carolina, was presented the 2012 Mark A. Sneberger Line Officer of the Year Award for the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Overcrowding in federal prisons is projected to increase throughout the next decade, posing challenges for the agency that oversees the facilities, a new report finds. The Government Accountability Office studied the growth in the Justice Department's Bureau of Prisons population from fiscal 2006 through fiscal 2011, as well as the bureau's long-range capacity plan through 2020.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Details about the cold-blooded slaughter of an Oklahoma probation officer is shedding light on what experts say can be a dangerous profession.

On August 31, 2011, Tiffany Danielle Bishop, the 24 year-old daughter of Northern District of Georgia Chief Probation Officer Tom Bishop, passed away while attending training as a State of Georgia probation officer. In memory of this remarkable young woman, an endowment fund has been established in Tiffany Bishop's name at her alma mater, Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia.

On September 22, 1986, United States Probation Officer Thomas E. Gahl was killed in the line of duty in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was a Monday morning, not unlike any other Monday morning Tom had experienced in his previous 11 years as a probation officer.

CANTON - A man was shot and killed during a roadside fight with a state probation officer when he tried to grab the officer's gun, police said.

We have all been witness to many stories, emails, news headlines and other “not so good news items” about the federal budget, spending and cuts. Our cost of living adjustments as federal employees have been frozen for three years, our district budgets cut, and we are routinely being asked to do more for less.

New findings on how offenders train with, carry and deploy the weapons they use to attack police officers have emerged in a just-published, 5-year study by the FBI.

The Federal Probation and Pretrial Officers Association expresses its deepest condolences to the recent losses suffered by the United States Marshals Service in the Northern District of West Virginia and the Eastern District of Missouri.

Two articles dealing with Facebook caught my attention recently. The first by DeConto described a North Carolina lawsuit challenging state statute 14-202.5 as unconstitutional.

From time to time supervision officers ask me about gaming consoles and sex offenders. There were some recent incidents that compelled me to write about it today. The first involved a law enforcement request seeking assistance in analyzing a gaming console taken by a parole officer from a sex offender.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - One of three deputy U.S. marshals who were shot while attempting to serve an arrest warrant in West Virginia has died, and a drug suspect also was killed in the shootout, authorities said.

Washington (CNN) -- New information regarding the killing of a U.S. immigration agent in Mexico points to it being a sanctioned hit by the Zetas drug cartel and not a rogue incident, said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who said he has been briefed by federal immigration officials.

A Different Look at the Federal Judiciary: Join host Debra Roth when she meets with Pat McNutt of the Federal Court Clerks Association and John Bendzunas of the Federal Probation and Pretrial Officers Association to learn more about the top issues affecting their members.

From Fedsmith.com: Congress has been considering a number of changes in the federal government's human resources program that would benefit a number of readers. As often happens, these changes are in a bill that, on the surface, has little to do with the changes that will impact many federal employees.

WASHINGTON - The number of adults under correctional supervision in the United States declined by less than one percent during 2009, dropping to 7,225,800 (or 48,800 fewer offenders than at yearend 2008), the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. This was the first measured decline in the total number of adults under correctional supervision since BJS began reporting these populations in 1980.

The 6th National Training Institute will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on April 10-13, 2011. Registration and further information coming soon.

Membership fees for 2011 will be due beginning January 1, 2011. Membership dues for Active Officers are: $40 for One Year and $100 for Three Years, Free for Newly Appointed Officers; $20 for Associate Members and $250 for Contributing Members (public and private agencies, departments, institutions, universities, religious bodies, professional correctional associations and affiliate organizations.) Thank you for your continued support to the only professional organization dedicated solely to U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services.