CLEARFIELD – Clearfield County is establishing an in-house probation officer at the Clearfield County Jail.
On Tuesday, the county’s Salary Board voted to approve an additional pay, totaling $231 biweekly, for the collections/fines and costs supervisor due to increased duties.
The additional pay will be effective, Dec. 6, and will cease when the vacant fines and costs probation officer position is filled following the current officer’s transfer to the jail.
Commissioner Tony Scotto explained the county has transferred one probation officer to the jail to handle record-keeping, drug/alcohol programs, etc.
This, he said, will result in less manpower in the Probation Department; however, the fines and costs supervisor, Andrew Brown, is willing to assume the additional duties and work.
“So, they’re requesting a stipend,” Scotto said. The request was made by President Judge Fredric Ammerman, Probation Supervisor Shawn Burkhart and Jail Warden David Kessling.
Court Administrator F. Cortez “Chip” Bell noted that this employee will essentially be an “in-house” probation officer, and though working out of the jail, they’ll be paid from the probation budget.
“This will ease all sorts of problems, and not just with the COVID-19 situation, but simply with the amount and the flow of paperwork back and forth,” Bell said.
As a result, he said Brown’s duties will increase in the collections office for the time being, and so the court is proposing a stipend rather than a permanent salary change.
Burkhart said by having an in-house probation officer, the county will be able to streamline processes and release inmates more quickly, which in turn will save jail days.
“Every jail day counts,” Burkhart said. “Over a year’s time, if you save even one day per inmate, you’re looking at a large savings.
“This will streamline the process and make one person responsible for the parole of inmates rather than several, which could lead to error or delay.”
Burkhart also said the department hasn’t been able to send any probation officers out to the jail due to COVID-19, and the jail staff has been forced to assume these duties.