News  Lawrence Probation Officer uses new cell phone as “lifeline”

Pictured above: Probation Officer Linda Brandin

The Massachusetts Probation Service provided each of the more than 800 Probation Officers with new I-Phone 7 smartphones to enable them to remain in  contact with the individuals they supervise while the state's courts and Community Corrections Centers remain closed to the public. 

Lawrence District Court Probation Officer Linda Brandin received an after-hours call for help from a 24-year-old woman she is supervising on probation. Brandin, a 22-year Probation Officer, immediately sensed that the probationer needed help and that she was thinking of harming herself. 

“She was emotional and extremely depressed. She would not answer my question when I asked her if she was thinking of hurting herself. I called 911 and had the police go over to do a wellness check as well as have the EMT take her to the hospital for a psych evaluation and a medical evaluation,” Brandin recalled. 

The Probation Officer—known for her dedication to the probationers she supervises— instructed the probationer to go with the ambulance to the hospital and encouraged her to call her when she arrived. 

“She called me up in tears when help arrived. I told her that my phone is on at all times and to call or text me if she needed to. She did call me many times the first two nights. She later told me that she was in a very bad place and was going to do something really bad,” Brandin said. 

The probationer, who was transported to a Lynn hospital, remained there for more than two weeks before returning home. 

“She is home now and tells me how happy she feels now and so grateful for what I did. This was just one positive outcome. I have also had contact by text many times with my probationers after hours,” Brandin said. 

She added, “The phones that were delivered to Probation Officers have been a life saver to our probationers during this ongoing pandemic. These phones have provided our probationers contact with their PO’s 24 hours, seven days a week. They have opened up a wonderful line of communications and makes a better relationship between each other.”