There are four probation and parole officers in the county who are responsible for the supervision of adult offenders who have committed all types of crimes, Butler said.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections Probation and Parole office in Sallisaw is located at 107 N. Oak St., which is near the Sequoyah County Courthouse. The officers have been at that location since December.
The officers stationed in Sequoyah County are senior probation and parole officers, Emmett Daniels, Jerry Sizemore, Mike Evans, and Butler. They are supervised by Kristi Olzawski, team supervisor.
Butler said Daniels has 15 years experience with the Department of Corrections (DOC) and has worked out of the Sallisaw office since August 1991. Sizemore has seven years experience and has worked those years in the Sallisaw office. Evans worked for Juvenile Services for five years before coming to Sequoyah County in Sept. 2001. Butler said she has 16 years experience with the department. Butler began her career in Oklahoma City before transferring to Sallisaw in June 2004.
The district is headed by Stormy Wilson, district supervisor, and Debbie Gregg and Teresa McCoin, assistant district supervisors.
Probation and parole officers operate in all 77 counties in the State of Oklahoma with the division of probation and Parole functioning within the Oklahoma DOC.
Officers are Council for Law Enforcement Education Training certified peace officers whose jurisdiction covers the entire state, Butler said. Officers supervise defendants who have been placed on community supervision by the district court. They also monitor parole offenders released by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, early release inmates monitored under the Global Positioning System (GPS), and those under probation and parole who are transferred to Oklahoma from other states.
"Officers utilize many tools to identify an offender's criminogenic needs and utilize a wide variety of community resources in order to circumvent any further criminal activity," Butler said.
Offender progress is then reported to the appropriate authority. The most common areas addressed by officers are substance abuse, vocational-educational and cognitive-mental health issues.
Butler said offenders are also monitored with residential visits, drug testing, employment verification and regular visits to the probation and parole office.
"The DOC utilizes a state-of-the-art 'level of service inventory' to assess offender risk in the community in order to determine appropriate supervision level per offender," Butler said. "All officers are certified in this process in order to maintain the professional validity of the system."
Butler said Oklahoma just began the early release of inmates from the correctional system. These offenders maintain inmate status and are monitored by GPS.
"Only inmates meeting strict criteria are released on this program," Butler said. "Probation and parole officers then supervise these offenders."
Inmates are required to maintain employment and adhere to strict requirements of early release.
