News  Autumn Probation Officer Academy began this week

The September 2025 Probation Officer Academy kicked off on Monday and will run through September 26, graduation day.

Fifteen new Probation Officers are enrolled in this semester’s academy class. Of the 15, nine work in the District Court, five are from Juvenile Court, and one is from Superior Court, according to James Hotaling, Training Department Program Manager.

“The PO Academy provides foundational training for a Probation Officer, but onboarding for a Probation Officer expands beyond the Academy into on-the-job experience and follow-up trainings,” said Mr. Hotaling.

The new PO’s were welcomed by Acting First Deputy Commissioner Brian Mirasolo who provided an overview of MPS’ Field Services Division. Also on Monday, each PO was paired with a mentor and participated in a “Meet and Greet” session.

The day featured a panel discussion, “A Day in the Life of a PO,” by PO’s who each represent one of the following divisions of the courts: Middlesex Superior PO Mitch Russell, Lowell District PO Joshua Garcia, Plymouth Juvenile PO Lynn Affonso, and Plymouth Probate & Family PO Jamie Slavin.

“Newly added to the September 2025 Academy is our Community Supervision Learning Lab, a full-day immersive training experience which builds upon various elements of our curriculum, including Motivational Interviewing, Evidence Based Practices, Verbal De-Escalation, Safety and more into role play scenarios designed to provide practical application to the community,” said Patricia Gavin, Statewide Training Director.

The day ended with a segment on Professionalism presented collaboratively by the Office of Workplace Rights and Compliance and the MPS Investigators, according to Mr. Hotaling.

Among the topics new PO’s will learn about during the Academy are Legal Concepts, Drug Testing Tools and Protocols, Motivational Interviewing, Evidence-Based Community Supervision Practices, ORAS, OYAS, Officer Safety, Understanding Mental Health in the Courts, and the Mock Violation of Probation (VOP) Experience.