Press Release - March 12, 2002
Office of the Commissioner of Probation

AN IMPORTANT PROBATION OFFICER REMINDER
ON HOW TO STAY SAFE

          Recognizing “danger signs” and learning how to get out of a situation that spells “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” should be tops on the list of every Massachusetts Probation Officer, according to Dan Ryan, Chief Probation Officer and a member of the Training Unit of the Office of Commissioner of Probation.

          Probation Officers should make Defensive Disengagement Tactic Training an annual priority, Ryan said. “For safety on the job and to stay up to date on what is current in the field, Probation Officers should enroll in the course once every year, since it is all based on muscle memory.”

          Defensive Tactic Training is one of 10 chapters of the Safe Operations Training curriculum and features training strategies from such sources as The National Institute of Corrections, the Crisis Prevention Institute, the American Red Cross, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Techniques such as Ground Defense, defending one’s self after being knocked to the ground, and Break Falls, avoiding injury during a fall, are among the techniques taught during the training.

          The Defensive Tactic Training Team includes Quincy Chief Probation Officer Mike Walsh; Assistant Chief Probation Officer Bill Wickman and Probation Officer Jerry Twohig, both of Framingham District Court; and Lawrence District Assistant Chief Probation Officer Larry Murray.

          “It is so important for officers to be alert for danger signs such as changes in body language and voice tone,” Walsh said. “An officer must be alert and trust his or her own instincts because a situation can change pretty quickly.”

          Added Wickman, “This is a worthwhile and necessary program. It continues to evolve as we move forward.”

          Defensive Tactic Training is offered four times a semester and/or eight times a year. The next training is scheduled for April 17, at 8 p.m. The training will take place at West Junior High School, 21 West Street, Brockton.

          The Massachusetts Probation Service is a department of the Massachusetts Trial Court. There are 12 Superior Court, 70 District Court and 12 Probate and 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 Massachusetts Probation Service and Office of Community Corrections.