HAMPDEN SUPERIOR AND JUVENILE COURT PROBATION OFFICERS
LAUNCH SUMMER SUPERVISION EFFORT IN SPRINGFIELD 'HOT SPOTS'

A group of Hampden Superior and Juvenile Court Probation Officers are participating in weekly walks in neighborhoods identified by local police as "hot spots." The walks are part of a community supervision effort to curb violence this summer.

Probation Officers recently strolled through the North End and Forest Park neighborhoods of Springfield, areas that have experienced an uptick in gang-related activity.

"There have been numerous shootings in the area and it is our intention to maintain a presence in areas considered ‘hotspots.' We want residents to know that we will be in the neighborhoods on a regular basis," said Hampden Superior Court Acting Chief Probation Officer Steven Ashe. "It is our goal to offset any violence and problematic behavior among offenders."

Juvenile Court Acting Chief Probation Officer Danny Baez said the weekly neighborhood strolls, which also include home visits, have two major benefits.

"I perceive two outcomes. It allows two separate Probation Departments, Superior and Juvenile, to work together and share information as well as allow the community to reconnect with Probation," Baez said. "Community residents see us in a different light when we are walking around the neighborhood. They talk to us and we talk to them. We gain invaluable insight into the lives of the residents and those we supervise on probation."

As part of the neighborhood walks, Ashe was joined by Orlando Zayas, Acting First Chief Probation Officer; Lorna Simmons, Assistant Chief Probation Officer; Lorraine Samuelson-Sigall, Assistant Chief Probation Officer; as well as Probation Officers
Carla Tucker-Kinard, Michelle Rogers, and Rosa Maldonado-Brown. Juvenile Probation Officers participating in the neighborhood strolls included Darlene Elias, Jill Cocchi, and Shane Blatch.

Springfield Police Sergeant John Delaney described the partnership with Probation as "unprecedented."

"Probation Officers do a tremendous amount of work. They go out into the community every week to serve warrants. It makes our job a lot easier. We work hand in hand. Each time that we go out with Probation Officers, we as police officers are gaining knowledge every time. We learn who should be in the community, at a residence and who should not. We couldn’t get a lot of this stuff done if it weren’t for probation," said Delaney, who also serves as executive aid to Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.