CPOC Awards Recognition to Deputy Probation Officers
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors proudly recognized Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officer II (DPO II) Catherine Brennan as the 2017 Award of Excellence recipient from the Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC). Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officer II Martha Aguirre, Senior Director Dalila Alcantara, Senior Detention Services Officer Ruth Tyson, Los Angeles County Probation Commissioner Don Meredith, and Board of Supervisors Third District Justice Deputy Sherry Gold were also recognized by CPOC, receiving a Distinguished Service Certificate for their meritorious service.
Detailing her story, Senior Detention Service Officer Ruth Tyson says she noticed upon arrival that there weren’t any programs for the juvenile girls’ unit. She then received a call from an organization that had been working with a program called 'The Swan Within.' This creative program uses classical ballet as a way to cope with and heal the traumatic wounds of young people in detention centers.
Officer Ruth Tyson worked with the organization to facilitate greater participation of more girls in the program.
SDSO Tyson points out that it was not easy to get this program to run as smoothly as it does now. For example, the girls would participate in recitals that parents were invited to; however, large parent turnout was difficult to achieve.
“Even when the probation department offered them transportation, we still had to call them several times, remind them, and then they began to enjoy seeing their children going through a change,” said SDSO Tyson.
Tyson began to add more programs such as
Operation Read
,
Drumming for Life
and several more. She also noted that staff began to call out less frequently and that there was increased trust between her and the staff.
We want to congratulate and thank SDSO Tyson for being a probation officer who thinks outside of the box, goes beyond her duties, and has brought positive change for the staff and youth under her supervision.
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LA County Probation Officers Granted Many Wishes This Past Holiday Season
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Many officers in our LA County Probation department donate or participate in supporting our communities during the holiday season and this year was no exception. Some of our staff members put in an extraordinary amount of time making certain there were toys, clothes, and food for those who needed it the most.
DPO Teresa Miller and DPO James Blanton have gained a reputation for their generosity, collecting toys, clothing, books for those in need in the community.
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Both DPO Miller and DPO Blanton are with The CCTP (Camp Community Transition Program) this year. With the support of The Simon Foundation, they were able to get more food for the needy program.
DPO Miller is known for providing annual Thanksgiving food baskets and toy drives during the Christmas season. Since she collects toys all throughout the year during the holidays her cubicle begins to look like Santa’s toy shop.
"I am a community advocate. I believe it is my responsibility to be certain that sufficient services are provided for the clients we supervise,” says SDPO Michael Allen, who supervises the CCTP Unit. “All of the officers in this unit are committed to serving the Los Angeles community. They do not come to this unit just to do a job. They come here to serve the community. I am very proud to say that any officer who comes to this unit is an officer who holds our shared vision and because of that, anyone who joined this unit would not be comfortable ‘just being here’ if they wanted to just do a full day of work and leave at 5 PM.”
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DPO Alvin Johnson and DPO Blanton also participated in a season of wish-granting by waving their unique ‘magic wands’ to grant a wish for a client’s terminally ill thirteen year old brother.
“When I came to work, I noticed that one of my young charges was in tears so I sat with him to see how I could help him. He began to tell me about his younger brother Jaylen’s rare form of bone cancer, which was the cause of his distress. I decided to petition the court so that he could visit his brother. Granting him the chance to see Jaylen – especially under the circumstances of his illness – helped to transform the young man in our camp into a different person. He began to talk about the responsibilities he now felt for his family and discussed ways of helping his mother.”
There was a great deal of publicity in granting Jaylen his dream. This South Los Angeles teenager’s wish came true when he met his idol, two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry, at Staples Center. His meeting with the NBA star was publicized online, in newspapers, magazines, and on television. Thirteen-year-old Jaylen gave Curry a custom-made T-shirt with Golden State's logo and the words "I'M A WARRIOR FOR JAYLEN." Curry, whose team was in town to play the Clippers, had two gifts for his young fan: the jersey he had worn during the game and the shoes he sported during warmups.
At the end of the meeting Curry told Jaylen, "I appreciate you coming.” To which Jaylen replied, "I appreciate you having me.”
When the time came for the funeral, DPO Johnson again wrote a letter to the judge, so that the young man in our custody could attend in order to say goodbye to his brother. It became clear that this was a life changing experience for a young man in our detention center. These kinds of actions demonstrate the caring and thoughtfulness that the officers in our probation department have for the communities we serve.
Click here
to see video of Jaylen's visit with his idol, two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry
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This year, Supervisor Hilda Solis recently proclaimed January as Mentoring Month in Los Angeles County and submitted a recommendation to several departments – including The Probation Department – to develop a plan and timeline that will offer County employees the opportunity to mentor youth in Los Angeles.
At minimum, the plan should outline a process detailing how employees can participate in approved mentoring efforts throughout the county. County departments will then report back to the Board of Supervisors in 60 days about the efficacy of the program.
Broad guidelines for the Probation Department’s mentoring program can be found on The Office of Diversion and Re-Entry Youth Diversion's website.
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Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO Holds Annual MLK Breakfast
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The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO held its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Labor Breakfast that drew in a crowd of over a thousand community leaders, labor leaders, and elected officials. Multi-platinum Grammy Award winning recording artist Faith Evans, joined by nearly 100 members from the West Angeles Church of God in Christ Mass Choir, opened the event.
Secretary-Treasurer of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, Rusty Hicks, introduced this year’s keynote speaker, Vanita Gupta. As President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Vanita Gupta is continuing the groundbreaking work she did under President Obama’s administration as head of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. The theme of the breakfast this year was the continuing legacy and growth of Dr. King’s Civil Rights’ movement.
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February
Stewards' Council Meeting
February 22; 7:30 PM
March
General Membership Meeting
March 8; 7:30 PM
Stewards' Council Meeting
March 29; 7:30 PM
Location*
AFSCME Local 685
3701 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 510
Los Angeles, CA 90010
*Pursuant to our Local 685 Constitution, the General Membership meeting has been fixed on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Local 685 Union Hall at 3701 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 510, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (except November and December/1st Thursday of the month).
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AFSCME Advantage
Being an AFSCME member doesn’t only get you an advantage at the bargaining table – it also gets you access to discounts and benefits that can help make life a little easier.
- Auto Advantage
- Scholarships
- Health Services
- House & Home
- Insurance
- Legal
- Money & Credit
- Travel
- Union Shopping
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AFSCME Local 685 Constitution
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Article I
Name
The name of the Local shall be Los Angeles County, California, Probation Department Employee Local Number 685 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
Article II
Affiliations
This Local shall be affiliated with California District Council Number 36 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Article III
Objectives
The objectives of this local union shall be to carry out on a local basis the objectives of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the following additional objectives and methods:
A. To promote the organization of workers generally and public employees in particular.
B. To advance the social, economic, and general welfare of its members.
C. To foster and promote a liberal and progressive public attitude toward probation services.
D. To promote efficiency in public service generally and to cooperate in providing efficient service.
E. To extend and uphold the principle of merit and fitness in public employment.
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