ANNAPOLIS | Parole agents charged with accounting for more than 2,000 DNA samples by the end of last week still have yet to collect more than 1,200 of the samples, the O’Malley administration said Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a fluid number,” said Rick Binetti, a spokesman for the Department of Parole and Probation. “It’s probably never going to be zero.”
A top aide for Gov. Martin O’Malley, Democrat, sent an e-mail Sept. 22 pressuring state Department of Parole and Probation agents to account for the samples from convicted felons.
“I expect each of you to determine the reason why each sample identified as not being collected was not and for you to explain what action has been taken when you conclude it was due to poor performance,” wrote Philip Pie, the agency’s deputy director.
The letter also gave the agents two weeks to complete the task.
The letter has brought out frustration among the parole agents who say the administration has impose more work on them without addressing growing safety concerns.
“There’s a shortage of resources, then we get these lists that aren’t even accurate, it’s tiresome,” said Raimund Douglas, president of AFSCME Local 3661, which represents parole and probation agents in Maryland.
The agents are responsible with monitoring the state’s 70,000 offenders on parole and probation.
They cite a Baltimore parole officer being attacked in June as one example of the dangers of their job.
A female parole agent suffered a concussion when a parolee attempted to escape Baltimore’s Preston Street parole office, and another agent suffered a broken wrist in the attack.
The next month, a contract security firm walked off the job at two offices, including the one on Preston Street. Baltimore city police had to take over security for the day until a new firm was hired.
The firm had gone bankrupt and its employees never showed up to work, Mr. Binetti said.
Since the attack in June, the administration opened a 45-day review of security procedures, which is ongoing.
Parole and probation agents say the governor’s plans to expand DNA collection to those arrested for violent crimes and the crack down on parolees puts them in further danger.
“What are you waiting for?” Mr. Douglas asked. “Are you waiting for the dead body to hit the ground, before you fix security?”
Parole agents are allowed to carry pepper spray and wear bulletproof vests when in the field. Agents are not allowed to carry guns or make arrests unless they are also sworn police officers.
“Agents are the victims of violence because of O’Malley’s policies,” said one agent who asked to remain anonymous. “If one office needs armed security, they all should have armed security. When you renew your license, you will see state troopers. The MVA has better security than parole and probation offices.”
Members of the O’Malley administration said security will always be an issue when dealing with violent offenders.
“Being a parole and probation agent is within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, it’s not a park ranger,” said Kristen Mahoney, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention. “This is a law enforcement job. They’re supervising felons, they’re supervising violent people.”
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