SUFFOLK JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICERS LEND SUPPORT AND PRESENCE AT "OCCUPATION" OF NEIGHBORHOOD MARRED BY CRIME

          Last week, a team of Suffolk County Juvenile Court Probation Officers joined Reverend Bruce Wall, pastor of the Global Ministries Church; local law enforcement; and community representatives each night on Lyndhurst Street in Dorchester, the site of a week-long "occupation and liberation" initiative led by Wall who vowed to run alleged drug dealers and gang-involved youths out of the neighborhood.

           Each night, probation officers patrolled the Lyndhurst area, the scene of numerous shootings, and adjacent streets where they performed curfew checks and informed residents of the various court services and community programs offered by the court. On Thursday, a dozen probation officers came out in full force to assist in the Lyndhurst Street effort. They came from the Chelsea, Roxbury, and West Roxbury sites of the Suffolk Juvenile Court. The Probation Officers joined a host of police officers, area ministers, community residents, and community leaders, according to Suffolk Juvenile Chief Probation Officer Steven A. Siciliano.

           “We called on Probation Officers from each of the Suffolk County Juvenile Court sites and they answered the call in a big way. We were happy to lend our support to this effort,” said Siciliano.

           Assistant Suffolk Juvenile Chief Probation Officer Richard M. Scott, who is based at the Dorchester division of the Suffolk Juvenile Court, came up with the idea to join the "occupation" and helped to organize probation's outreach efforts.

          "In conjunction with our partners, our presence in the streets from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with our clearly visible probation gear and familiar faces helped to reduce probationers' anonymity. It was quintessential community probation in action," said Scott.

          Probation Officers from the Suffolk County Juvenile Probation Department have played a major role this summer in finding constructive ways to steer court-involved youths away from trouble.

          The Job Readiness Program, a 12-week education and job skills training program, is preparing youth for gainful employment in the private sector. The "Summerwind" Program, run by Suffolk Juvenile and BMC-Chelsea P.O.'s, was designed to help local law enforcement keep tabs on court-involved young people who hang out at local parks and beaches during the summer months.