By Matthew Estes, Communications Director
DECATUR, Ala. – Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Bureau’s Decatur Field Office, serving Morgan County’s population of probationers, parolees and mandatory supervised release individuals. The office is in the Morgan County Courthouse downtown – the hub of governmental activities for the county. It’s fair to say everyone in the courthouse knows almost everyone else – near the end of the visit, I was learning people’s names and roles even outside the ABPP office, and they were greeting me like I’d been there for years.
Serving a moderately-sized, growing population, the Decatur Field Office operates with two Officers-in-Charge – OIC Michael Smith and OIC Patricia Uselton. A diverse set of leaderships styles, I’ve found, fuels teamwork among groups, and these two exemplify becoming greater than the sum of their parts.
“They complement each other well,” said District 3C Manager Sid Slate. [Smith] is a constant beacon of light, and [Uselton] has a knowledgebase unparalleled to anyone in the district.” There’s a yin and yang between their leadership styles; Smith has a can-do attitude and is very efficient with his time, and Uselton is a nose-to-the-grindstone, boots-on-the-ground type who puts in long hours to accomplish her goals. Both styles are equally virtuous, and both have teams designed around them to best channel each quality effectively.
“There’s plenty of business,” said Slate, who had lots of positive things to say about all the staff in Decatur. He praised the willingness of Officer Tom Di Giulian to learn electronic monitoring, Senior Specialist Leslie Holland’s coordination abilities, and the strong teamwork of Officers Cain Bowen, Deborah Harton, and Ryan Hawkins. Slate also praised the parental-like sternness of Officer Joddie King when working with probationers and paroles with drug abuse issues.
Activity happens fast at the Decatur office, but this group is always prepared to come to work every day ready for a challenge. The staff have direct access to the courts, so the public safety process can be carried out with efficiency. The group enjoys being a central part of writing wrongs, bringing attention to poor choices, and making recommendations for improving lives. The group even took me a few steps down the hall to the courtroom for their group photo. “The courts are wonderful and absolutely supportive of our mission.”
Having a team that won’t break, but will instead bond under pressure is something to be thankful for. This team continues to grow stronger through the constant flurry of activity at the Decatur Field Office.
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.
