Link to story

Just curious if it's much better in other states.

NC is much better.  Every officer is issued m&p .40 and body armor with Safariland molle carrier.  Every  officer in my county has an assigned vehicle.  Each officer is also issued a 800 MHz radio and a smart phone.  Our smart phones have caseload software on it, so things like narratives can be done in the field.  Compared to Florida seems like a night and day difference.

State of Illinois provides all the needed equipment, weapon, vest, radio, vehicle, computers but they don't want you violating any ones parole. Even on some new charges they do not want to issue violation warrants. Sex offenders is the exception to that rule but most other violent charges are ignored. They don't have the room to bring them back is what we were told.

The latest push is to put probation under the Sheriffs. I've never heard of that being done anywhere else. Sounds like it would be a whole new set of problems to me. Oh well, it's Florida. I shouldn't expect anything else...

When I first got into LE, I was shocked at how many people get probation instead of going to prison. I think probation and parole is often the red headed step child of LE.  The courts and government want to dump EVERYTHING on them instead of putting people in prison, and then not adequately staff, fund, and equip them to do the job adequately.

Probation officers, god bless them because FLDOC seems to hate them.   If nothing has changed, they almost make it a pain in the ass to carry a weapon.   In my area they hardly make any arrests.  They violate offenders at their office and call for the SO to pick them up at the office.

It's still the same with arrests. The weapon issue is much easier, but officers still have to pay for them.

25 yr + w/ FL DOC here.

We are a fucked up bunch. One 125K mile car for  13 field officers. One measly 1K raise in eight years. A DOS based computer system. Less than 10% of staff with lap tops. We are still using flip-phones. We have to buy our own revolvers or pistols. All kinds of weapons being carried and all kinds of different "duty" ammo issued.

Things got so bad in the Spring of 2012, we went on "lockdown" and were forbidden to go into the field to supervise cases.

Our laptop software is so outdated and our training so shitty, we don't even search sex offender's computers anymore. Not just because we are inept, but because we are told not to.

$33K starting pay when local police departments and sheriff's office start in the mid-forties.

All of this requires a bachelor degree !

That's good to know. I plan on applying there in a few years after the Army.

Just curious....why have you spent 25 years there?

Too many years in to leave now. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Plus, for many years the pay was good. The core job is great. There is no other law enforcement job around where you can get exposure to every last aspect of the judicial system. It would be outstanding to have the resources to do it right, and the public would benefit greatly, too. Nobody really knows what we do, or what we could do, and that's a shame.

County PO here. We have to buy our own handguns if we want to carry. Training and practice ammo is then provided. I'd go on, but not on a public forum. Our state parole agents have it better.