[patrock2]

An ex girlfriend from another state called and reported that my daughter's boyfriend had violated his probation by leaving the State.(not true) This has created a helluva mess. This particular PO is retiring- he keeps spotty records and doesn't keep his sign in sheets so he had the boyfriend arrested stating he hadn't reported in a year! We have witnesses that drove him there and one who saw the PO wave outside the door at her.
My daughter sent her boyfriend's NEW probation officer a Christmas card with a very positive note stating the steps her boyfriend has taken on his own and also his compliance with probation and no new violations since his probation began. She is only 24, and naively thought she was doing a good thing. Her mistake is that she included her business card-she works for a non profit agency for SENIOR Citizens. Well this PO sent a letter to her agency stating that her boyfriend had been non compliant for 2 yrs! He claimed that she is using her agency to advocate for her boyfriend. He gave info in this letter that hasn't been before a judge yet and no use of the word 'allegedly'. Now this letter was not addressed to anyone in particular only the agency name. His return address was only his name handwritten. The mail clerk asked her if this mail was hers since no one in this state has any dealings with Maine. My daughter recognized the PO'S name and assumed he was replying to her Christmas card. When she realized he was accusing her of using her agency to advocate for her boyfriend-She called him and wrote a letter apologizing for any misunderstanding and that she didn't realize sending something nice like a Christmas card was wrong. She was fired today for bad personal judgment because he called her agency's head office- all have copies of this Christmas card and the response is yes the PO's response is inappropriate so what? Did the PO go too far in having her fired for a nice not sarcastic nasty or anything but nice Christmas card? Talk about no good deed going unpunished now she is a single mom who now has to go back on welfare, she loved her job can't use them for a reference now-why did no one realize that an ELDER SERVICES agency cannot advocate for a thirty yr old person!:confused:

[excon]

Hello pat:

She may very well have a case against the PO. I would have here visit an attorney right away.

In my view, even if your daughter DID use the agency to advocate for him, there's NOTHING illegal or unethical in doing so - NOTHING.

excon

[Fr_Chuck]

1. She needs to stop any and all contact with the PO, if the PO needs to know something, the person who is on probation needs to be talking to him, And provide only the info asked for.
And then calling him back, she was asking for it to happen, this is how PO do, they are not there to be your friend and not there to help you.
Having contact with the PO by anyone beyond the probaton person, is a big mistake always

But by using and including her work she did imply that the agency was also speaking, if it had been private, then no business card would be included.

While not illegal, if this violated department policy. Also he did not fire her, he complained and the agency fired her because they had received complaints. Her other mistake was not informing her boss of the letter when it came in and telling them what had happen. But she let a lot of things happen.

I doubt there is anything illegal in her being fired, and nothing can be done, She needs to learn to stay out of other people business when it involveds probation or parole people

[wynelle]

I think the two biggest issues were:

1) Why did the parolee not keep a record of his visits to the Parole Officer? A simple check-in sheet that the parole officer signed each time the parolee came in...

And incidentally, what "proof" did the ex-girlfriend have that the parolee was our of state? Why would third person word-of-mouth carry any weig.ht at all?

2) Your daughter should have no contact with the parole officer. None, not any. He isn't her parole officer and he isn't her friend. The boyfriend should be the only one dealing with the PO. By including her company business card, it did imply involvement of the agency. And since the agency didn't know anything about it, it put the agency in a bad place when the PO called to complain. So why couldn't your daughter hand-write her phone number on the Christmas Card she hand wrote?

I have a relative who is a parole officer, and he hears stories like this all the time and laughs. He said it appears there were other unspoken problems with the parolee that most likely have not been shared with either you, or your daughter.

And your daughter doesn't have to go on Welfare. She just probably won't get another nice job for a while. But she can work.

[s_cianci]

I agree with the above post. Also I wonder if she could in fact use her former employer as a reference (with their permission) ; it's not like she was fired for incompetence or anything like that. In fact, the agency may feel that they owe her that much and in a sense they do. She was fired simply because it was the path of least resistance for the agency rather than deal with all of the potential fallout. Giving the PO her calling card may not have been prudent but in and of itself doesn't reflect on her competence as a worker.

[patrock2]

My daughter worked for an ELDER SERVICES AGENCY. HER TITLE WAS ELDER SERVICES HEALTH CARE COORDINATOR-MEDICARE PART D-HOW COULD ANYONE MISTAKE THIS AS REPRESENTATION- THIS AGENCY ONLY REPRESENTS AND ASSISTS PERSONS OVER 50- HER BOYFRIEND IS 30! THIS WAS A VENGEFUL PETTY ACT ON THE PART OF HIS PROBATION OFFICER BECAUSE HER BOYFRIEND MADE HIS ORIGINAL PROBATION OFFICER LOOK INCOMPETENT WHEN HIS PROBATION OFFICER REALIZED HE HAS WITNESSES THAT DROVE HIM TO HIS MEETINGS. THE ORIGINAL OFFICER EVEN MADE AN EFFORT TO BE NICE TO MY DAUGHTER BY STEPPING OUTSIDE HIS BUILDING AND WAVING HELLO TO HER AND HER LITTLE BOY-IMPLYING-YOUR WORD-THAT PROBATION OFFICERS MIGHT LIKE TO RECEIVE A CHRISTMAS CARD. I was there when she wrote it. I too thought it was in the Christmas Spirit to send him one. We don't have any experience or knowledge of what is right or wrong regarding contact with a Probation Officer.
I was a child protective caseworker so any Christmas card I got I was pleased to get-especially from the people on my caseload-should I have cost these people their jobs claiming they were trying to influence me or simply put the card in his file as a contact person, tape the card to my cubicle wall as a decoration?
Yes Virginia there is a scrooge

[patrock2]

My daughter is a single mother, she lost her job, lost her apartment, her dignity, her self respect, her health benefits because of a Christmas CARD? Because she wanted him to see by her card that she is -was- gainfully employed;a responsible taxpaying citizen rather than a deadbeat standing by her man. Why does no one get that she did no wrong?She even called and wrote an apology for sending him a Christmas card with her card in it. Where are the rules for the general citizenry telling them it is wrong to send Christmas cards to probation officers even when they have waved hello to you in the past and were nice even though there is supposed to be no contact? A little bias here maybe? Once a convict always a convict? Even Jesus gave the thief next to him another chance to redeem himself- So why do all Probation Officers conclude everyone once convicted is always and forever lying? As this case shows Probation Officers too lie and cover their own and exact petty revenge at the expense of innocent people. Who's monitoring the proverbial fox in this hen house called the Probation Department?
A rich man never dies in the 'chair'. Sometimes there ARE Innocent men and women without expensive lawyers who do die in the 'chair'.. that's the view from this side of the road.

[s_cianci]

Thanks for your sanity here. They fired her for using bad personal and professional judgement would you use them as a reference?

Yes, with their permission beforehand.

[wayne0418]

The legal system is all messed up. You are in a lossing position. Right or wrong .