SUFFOLK COUNTY PROBATION OFFICERS ARE HONORED
BY U.S. ATTORNEY SULLIVAN

          Eleven Suffolk County Probation Officers were recognized by U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan recently at a special ceremony and reception held at the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse.

          Probation Officers John Turner and Tim Norris of Boston Municipal Court; Michael Branch, Jason Wirth and Trina Higgins of Dorchester District; Leah Lantini, Shelia Jackson, and Richard Gorman of Roxbury District; Bill Mitchell of Suffolk Superior; and Brad McNichols and Logan Ritchie of West Roxbury District were all lauded for their work with Operation Nightlight, Operation Impact, and the Youth Violence Strike Force as well as their contributions to reducing gun violence in the city. Operation Impact and the Youth Violence Strike Force are programs that evolved from Operation Nightlight. Operation Nightlight, the brainchild of former Dorchester District Court Probation Officers William Stewart and Richard Skinner, is a probation/police partnership which pairs Probation Officers and police when they go out on unannounced home and community visits to monitor high-risk offenders during evening hours.

          The Probation Officers, who represented the Massachusetts Probation Service, were among a group of Boston law enforcement officials and members of the Ten Point Coalition who were recognized for their dogged efforts to make communities safe.

          U.S. Attorney Sullivan presented a Department of Justice Award to the group. Boston’s efforts were highlighted by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft as an “outstanding national model.”

          “Our Probation Officers are important foot soldiers in the fight against crime and violence in the community. I am proud of their work and dedication. They are truly deserving of recognition,” said Commissioner John J. O’Brien.

          The Massachusetts Probation Service is a department of the Massachusetts Trial Court. There are 12 Superior Court, 70 District Court and 12 Probate & Family Court probation offices throughout the Commonwealth. Probation’s Juvenile Court system includes 11 divisions which represent every county in the state. The Office of the Commissioner of Probation (OCP) serves as the central administrative office for the state Probation Service and the Office of Community Corrections which operates 22 Community Corrections Centers throughout the state.