By Matthew Estes, Communications Director
JASPER, Ala – On Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, I visited the Jasper Field Office in Walker County. Positioned downtown at 2209 Delaware Avenue, this field office provides all the county’s probationer and parolee Bureau services in a centralized location.
Officer-in-Charge Mark Nuss took the time to introduce me to each employee: Officers Randi Capps, Jeremy Foster and Clayton Parnell, along with Specialist Amanda Baker and Administrative Support Assistant III Stormie Prestridge.
Especially in an area with higher-than-average crime statistics, it’s important to have a trustworthy team in place to handle challenges as they come up. Through speaking with Nuss, I could tell the Jasper employees were comfortable working together, as there was no shortage of friendly camaraderie and inside jokes shared. “We’re like a family, said Nuss. “We’ve gone through a lot of stuff together.”
The office also shares a space with the Jasper Day Reporting Center Lite, which was holding a parolee graduation commencement at a local venue. The field office and DRC Lite location was previously a church building before being converted to a field office allowing ample space for both programs to operate effectively. Beyond performing everyday duties as a field office, the team is eager to help the DRC Lite staff whenever possible. “We have always been supportive, and all have pitched in,” said Nuss.
The Bureau has 62 field offices, serving all Alabama counties. Field offices function as a local base of operations for Probation and Parole Officers, specialists and other support staff. Officers are required to make various contacts with probationers and parolees based on their risk level. These contacts range from a monthly office visit for lower risk individuals to weekly office, home, employment and curfew checks for higher risk individuals. In addition, officers are tasked with various types of investigations requested by the Bureau or courts, as well as assisting other law enforcement agencies when needed.
