News  Wareham Chief Linda Almeida is the longest tenured African-American woman Chief Probation Officer and longest tenured woman Chief Probation Officer in the Commonwealth

Chief Probation Officer Almeida first joined the Massachusetts Probation Service in 1984 as a Bristol County Juvenile Probation Officer. After working as a Juvenile PO for 10 years, she became a Plymouth County District Court PO. In 2006, she was appointed to the position of Assistant Chief Probation Officer and then named Chief Probation Officer in 2018, the position she currently holds at Wareham District Court.

“Some of the changes that I have seen over the years are an increase in drug use and a lot more mental illness,” said Chief Almeida.

She added, “I’ve found working in Probation to be rewarding. I started as an Intern in the District Attorney’s office and I was hired as a victim/witness advocate upon graduating college. I held that position for two years before being appointed a Probation Officer. I studied Criminal Justice in college and found it to be very interesting."

Chief Almeida has advice for those who are coming up behind her, “My advice to those coming up behind me or just joining the service is to stay strong, have compassion and keep moving forward."