Hollister
– San Benito County’s Juvenile Justice Commission has enough
members to be back in compliance with state law, which means the
county could have a new chief probation officer by the beginning of
summer.
Hollister – San Benito County’s Juvenile Justice Commission has enough members to be back in compliance with state law, which means the county could have a new chief probation officer by the beginning of summer.
Seven new commission members, most of whom have backgrounds in education, were sworn in last month. Because it did not have enough members, the commission was unable to perform its mandated advisory role in appointing the Probation Department’s top officer.
Deborah Botts, the county’s chief probation officer, was put on administrative leave in October and formally left the position in January. Mary Covell has held the position on an interim basis since Botts was placed on leave.
Hollister resident John Sitton, a retired retail executive and the county’s grand jury foreman last year, said he joined the commission to help get it back on its feet.
“It was not functioning,” Sitton said. “Somebody needed to step up and start helping.”
Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders, who oversees the Juvenile Justice Commission, said the commission’s top priority is to help fill the vacancy at the Probation Department with a permanent director.
“It would be nice to have something in the next two meetings,” he said.
The Juvenile Justice Commission meets on the second Monday of every month.
Ultimately, Sanders and fellow Superior Court Judge Harry Tobias will choose the replacement. However, since the judges are state employees, they have decided to collaborate with the county Board of Supervisors in appointing a new chief probation officer. The Juvenile Justice Commission is required by state law to have an advisory role in the hire.
Recruitment efforts will pick up in the next two to three weeks, Sanders said.
In addition to helping appoint a chief probation officer, the commission will review conditions at the Juvenile Hall and different parts of the juvenile justice system, and will serve on a juvenile delinquency prevention commission, Sanders said.
The commission is reviewing another eight adult applicants, but may not accept any more people because it would raise the number of members required for a quorum at meetings, according to John Delgado, who is the senior member of the Juvenile Justice Commission – and at one time was its only member.
However, the commission might decide to add juvenile members, Delgado said.
“We have three youth applicants we’re going to be reviewing for next month’s meeting,” he said.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
