Chief Probation Officer Brent Cardall announced his resignation Monday after accepting a position in Yolo County to start on July 1.
“I just want to express my gratitude for being able to serve and work in San Benito County,” he said. “There are two great judges I had an opportunity to work for and my staff.”
Cardall said he was called by Yolo County administrators who were interested in him for the job of chief probation officer.
“I’m excited to go to Yolo for an opportunity to showcase the programs we’ve implemented here,” he said. “We can showcase that in Sacramento so they can see how good we are here in San Benito County.”
Yolo County, which includes Woodland, Davis and West Sacramento, has a population of 204,000 residents. Cardall said it has urban and agricultural areas, similar to San Benito County.
Cardall said the timing of the move is good for his family as well, as his oldest child is preparing to enter high school.
“It’s the perfect timing to make that next step,” he said.
He said in Yolo he will be overseeing a staff of more than 100 probation officers, while in San Benito he supervises 12 probation officers. He came to San Benito County from Utah, where he worked with a staff of 150.
“It is with mixed emotions that we accepted the resignation,” said Judge Steve Sanders, who said the superior court appoints and serves as the supervisor for the chief probation officer. “We hate to see him go, but we are pleased he is moving on and to see him go on to a new chapter in his career.”
Since he arrived in San Benito County in early 2008, Cardall said he is most proud of the California State Association of Counties awards his department received. The first time they were recognized was for creating an orientation video for juvenile offenders to help them and their parents understand the process they would go through upon entering juvenile hall. They also created an orientation video for adult offenders. The probation department received other awards for creating a juvenile and adult review board, which allowed other alternatives to formal probation for non-violent offenders.
“There is an 80 percent success rate with that informal probation,” he said, of working with youth. “They are doing things with the family, teaching them about their behavior.”
The third CSAC award recognized a partnership between the probation department and the county library, in which the department used a literacy program to work with some offenders and their families.
“I’m proud of how we armed our department and increased public safety,” he said. “It was a balance of programs and public safety.”
Sanders said Cardall was largely involved in the criminal justice realignment, which brought more offenders back to the county from state prison and moved county inmates onto probation.
“He’s done a good job,” Sanders said. “He’s done everything we had expectations of for him.”
Sanders said in looking for a replacement, the court will likely work with San Benito County, which pays the salary of the chief probation officer, as well as other community agencies that work closely with the department. He said Cardall’s replacement will need to continue to work with the realignment and strive to reduce recidivism.
“He has also forged several partnerships,” Sanders said, of the programs implemented that involve other agencies or community volunteers.
In the more than five years Cardall has been with the department, more than 100 community members have volunteered with probation.
“We’ve had a lot of dedication and a lot of community support out there,” he said. “I am truly grateful they get how they can help us, and how they can be a tool in changing criminal behavior.”
Cardall’s last day in San Benito will be June 30 and he will start in Yolo County the following day.
“It’s just been a pleasure to work in this county,” he said. “It’s been awesome.”
