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New York City Council
Oversight - The Organizational Strategy of the Department of Probation
Read summaries and jump into the video at the segment start.
Council staff welcomes attendees to the Committee on Criminal Justice hearing, asks phones to be silenced, and tells Chair Brooks-Powers the committee is ready to begin. The hearing is convened for the Department of Probation oversight and Intro 1104.
Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers introduces herself and welcomes attendees to the hearing on the Department of Probation's organizational strategy. She notes the committee will also hear Intro 1104 on providing youth information about the criminal legal process.
Brooks-Powers describes the Department of Probation's responsibilities, including supervision, court investigations, juvenile intake, and connecting clients to services. She says the department's organizational approach affects officer-client interactions, outcomes, and how families navigate court.
Brooks-Powers says DOP has faced staffing shortages, retention problems, and caseload management challenges. She notes a reported 23% vacancy rate with 255 vacancies, including 210 probation officers, and concerns about eliminated court liaison positions.
Brooks-Powers notes Commissioner Goodwin's appointment in January and says the hearing will examine changes under new leadership. She says the committee will look at staffing, caseloads, court coordination, services, and data-driven decision-making.
Brooks-Powers introduces Intro 1104, which would require DOP to give youth accused of crimes notices explaining the criminal legal process. The notices would cover adjustment, petitions, pre-sentencing reports, dispositions, defense providers, and protections before intake interviews.
Brooks-Powers acknowledges Council Member Morano and thanks committee staff, including Jahari Frazier, Chad Benjamin, Casey Lasky, Owen Brady, and Renee Taylor. She says she looks forward to a productive discussion on probation's direction and operations.
Chair Brooks-Powers asks committee counsel Jahari Frazier to administer the oath. Frazier asks the panelists to raise their right hands and affirm to tell the truth before the committee.
Sharon Goodwin introduces herself as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation. She introduces First Deputy Commissioner Robert Eusebio and Deputy Commissioners Wayne McKenzie, Tina Ruggieri, and Stacey Decimore.
Goodwin says the department's organizational strategy can be summed up as 'what works,' or evidence-based practice. She describes it as a return to core values and helping clients get out and stay out of the justice system.
Goodwin says she started as an intern 40 years ago and has held nearly every position in the probation officer title series. She says restoring the agency to its fundamentals has been her core focus.
Goodwin says probation's most important asset is its people and notes the agency had a 23% vacancy rate. She says the vacancy rate has decreased 8% and describes reinstituting the probation officer trainee title to hire college graduates while they gain casework experience.
Goodwin says the probation training academy was optimized from 5.1 months to 3.5 months while meeting state mandates. She says two academies graduated 57 officers this year, with about 50 more expected in December and four additional academies scheduled for 2027.
Goodwin thanks Chair Brooks-Powers for attending academy graduations and Probation Week. She says the chair has helped celebrate the work of the small but mighty agency.
Goodwin says with staffing improving, DOP is returning to assigning caseloads according to risk. She says previous mixed caseloads led to lower-risk clients getting too much intervention and higher-risk clients too little, and DOP is reassessing cases to right-size them.
Goodwin says DOP cannot do the work alone and is rebuilding relationships with judges, service providers, and community organizations. She says DOP has met with judges to restore court liaison offices, paid overdue contracts, and reestablished NEON stakeholder groups.
Goodwin shares a success story of a probation client who completed a commercial driver's license certificate through Emerge Careers and the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. She says the client graduated with two job offers paying over $80,000 a year.
Goodwin says DOP supports the intent of Intro 1104 and that it generally matches current practice. She says probation provides young people and families a package of information, including a notice of rights, during family court intake, and looks forward to aligning the bill with the Family Court Act.
Goodwin says proper staffing, right-sized caseloads, and strong relationships are fundamental to probation work. She says the department still has a way to go but she is proud of the work and dedication of DOP staff.
Brooks-Powers thanks Goodwin for submitting testimony in time and says it helped her prepare questions. She acknowledges that Council Members Restler and Feliz have joined the hearing.
Brooks-Powers asks what organizational changes DOP has implemented since January 2026 and what remains in development. Goodwin cites staffing and recruitment, risk-based caseload reassignment, rebuilt stakeholder relationships, NEON stakeholder groups, DOP Anchors data work, and evidence-based practices.
Brooks-Powers asks how DOP measures whether changes are working and what metrics show. Goodwin says DOP is working with CUNY's Institute for State and Local Governance to build a framework and data points for evaluating community-based programs.
Brooks-Powers pivots to staff vacancies and asks how many DOP currently has. Goodwin says there are 171 vacancies overall, with 134 in the probation officer title series.
Brooks-Powers asks where DOP projects vacancies by the end of next year. First Deputy Commissioner Eusebio says DOP expects to graduate 50 candidates in December and should be fully staffed by fiscal year 2027, accounting for attrition.
Brooks-Powers asks how many probation officers left and were hired over the past three fiscal years. Eusebio says about 388 people left the agency over three calendar years and notes the probation officer vacancy is down to 134.
Brooks-Powers asks the primary reasons probation officers have been leaving. Goodwin cites competition from other law enforcement agencies, salaries, retirements, and unbalanced work-life schedules, and says she changed schedules to improve retention.
Brooks-Powers asks whether DOP uses data to compare wages with other law enforcement agencies and make the case for higher entry-level pay. Goodwin says her HR director tracks retention, projected retirements, and hiring needs to stay balanced.
Brooks-Powers says the council should work with DOP before the next fiscal cycle to understand what funding is needed to attract talent. She says keeping people on probation rather than in carceral settings is a shared goal.
Brooks-Powers asks how long it takes on average to fill a probation officer vacancy. Assistant Commissioner Xenia Melendez says DOP provisionally posts positions, interviews within two weeks, and moves candidates to medical, psychological, and background checks within about a month.
Brooks-Powers confirms that candidates move to the academy after about a month and that the academy is now 3.5 months, down from 5.1. Melendez says academy trainees are paid, receive benefits, and the time counts toward probation service.
Brooks-Powers asks how the academy is structured between classroom and field training and how DOP arrived at its length. Director of Training Jason Torres says the academy has three phases, with field training and hands-on training in later stages after state and regulatory requirements.
Brooks-Powers asks how the current academy structure affects new officers' readiness. Torres says DOP optimized the academy by focusing on core requirements, supplementing them with additional training, and reducing field time because graduates receive hands-on training on the job.
Brooks-Powers asks what training new officers receive after the academy, including for vulnerable youth. Eusebio, Goodwin, and Ruggieri describe continuous training, borough onboarding, shadowing, refreshers, and at least 21 mandatory training hours per year.
Council Member Morano asks whether high-risk individuals were receiving insufficient supervision under the previous mixed-caseload system. Goodwin says they were supervised but did not always get the right dosage of intervention, and says the mixed-bag practice lasted about three years.
Morano asks what is behind the reported 50% increase in juvenile rearrests and what share involved violent offenses. Deputy Commissioner Stacey Dessimore cites staffing shortages and officers carrying mixed risk levels, and says DOP is aligning units by risk and lowering high-risk caseloads.
Morano asks whether the CDL success story is representative and what percentage of participants complete employment and rehabilitation programs. Eusebio says DOP sees a 60-70% completion rate but wants better tracking, and Goodwin says CUNY ISLG will help evaluate outcomes.
Council Member Restler says DOP was badly mismanaged under the previous administration and asks how DOP will restore programs that were cut, including Impact, Next Steps, Arches, AIM, and ICM. Goodwin says DOP may not bring back old programs but will develop new ones and is working with community organizations.
Goodwin says DOP is looking at new programming, including partnerships like Emerge, and will issue white papers with community organizations. She says programs should allow clients to finish certifications at their own pace and explore fields like AI and IT.
Restler says there are 352 young adults in juvenile detention and DOP needs to help drive down incarceration. He asks about current DOP policy on officers carrying guns after Commissioner Holmes required every uniformed officer to carry one.
Eusebio says DOP has moved away from requiring all uniformed officers to carry guns and is determining who should be armed. McKenzie says he helped architect the prior policy, DOP is returning to it, and a draft should go to the executive team and union before being shared with the council.
Restler thanks Goodwin and McKenzie and says he looks forward to DOP restoring its former reputation. McKenzie thanks Restler and says DOP looks forward to his support.
Morano asks what specific public safety outcomes New Yorkers should expect in a year, such as fewer rearrests or better compliance. Goodwin says she wants to look at how programming informs client outcomes and says DOP is building its metrics.
Brooks-Powers asks how many juvenile cases were eligible for adjustment in fiscal year 2026 and how many were adjusted. Dessimore says about 9,000 cases came through intake and about 1,400 were adjusted, and says the adjustment rate is not where she wants it.
Brooks-Powers asks how the adjustment rate compares to prior years and administrations. Dessimore says she is reviewing why cases were not adjusted, notes designated felonies cannot be diverted without court approval, and plans training and retraining for juvenile staff by March.
Brooks-Powers asks what services are available to young people whose cases are adjusted. Dessimore describes mentoring, Saturday programs, employment, school support, parent coaches, and wraparound funds tailored to youth interests and victim considerations.
Brooks-Powers asks whether DOP is aware that judges may be more inclined to grant early termination motions filed by probation. Goodwin says DOP is looking at all eligible cases and that the early discharge practice has been restored.
Brooks-Powers asks how many times DOP has filed motions to terminate probation early since the new administration and how that compares to prior administrations. Eusebio says DOP is returning to the practice but does not have exact numbers yet and will provide them.
Brooks-Powers asks what factors determine whether DOP files for early termination. Eusebio and Goodwin cite public safety, mitigating factors, employment, stable housing, family stability, program completion, and no rearrest.
Brooks-Powers asks why general counsel might oppose early termination when an assigned officer and supervisor agree. McKenzie says under the current administration every early discharge is assessed on its merits and there should be no blanket objections.
Brooks-Powers asks whether officers are told ahead of time if general counsel may oppose or take no position on early termination. McKenzie says supervision officers drive the process, general counsel reviews for legal eligibility, and officers are counseled on any legal reasons.
Brooks-Powers pivots to Intro 1104 and asks what information DOP currently provides to youth and parents before an intake interview. Dessimore says DOP provides a notice of rights, goes over the process, and now has court liaison officers give notices to families in cases removed from youth part.
Brooks-Powers asks what resources, training, or procedural changes DOP would need for Intro 1104. McKenzie says much of the bill aligns with DOP business practices and the Family Court Act, but DOP has recommendations, such as changing the adult term 'PSI' to fit family court.
Brooks-Powers asks whether officers are adequately trained to explain statutory protections and governance statements during intake. McKenzie says training includes legal aspects taught by attorneys.
Brooks-Powers asks whether a standardized notice could help officers explain the process consistently. McKenzie says DOP believes it would.
Brooks-Powers asks what information young people and families most need when they first interact with probation. McKenzie says the process is stressful and parent coaches can better explain the process and guide families through it.
Brooks-Powers notes that Council Members Salaam and Brewer have joined the hearing. She pivots to questions about court liaison officers and family court coordination.
Brooks-Powers asks how many court liaison officers DOP currently employs. Dessimore says DOP has 13 total, with eight for family court and five for youth part, and still needs one more for Manhattan and additional family court coverage in Queens and the Bronx.
Brooks-Powers asks how many court liaison officers are assigned to each borough and family court location. Dessimore lists coverage in the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, including a hybrid CLO covering youth part and family court on Staten Island.
Brooks-Powers asks what responsibilities court liaison officers currently perform. Dessimore says youth part CLOs track arraignments, removals to family court, ICM cases, and court updates, while family court CLOs provide background, risk level, ATD information, and progress reports.
Brooks-Powers asks how DOP coordinates with the Administration for Children's Services, the Law Department, and defense counsel on juvenile cases. Dessimore describes coordination with ACS for detention releases, intake, arraignment, and weekend and evening arraignment coverage.
Brooks-Powers asks what challenges remain in coordinating probation services with family court. Dessimore says some boroughs need more staff and one or two more CLOs, but she meets regularly with courts and judges to keep communication open.
Council Member Salaam asks about the current vacancy count and hiring targets to close the probation officer gap. Goodwin says DOP has 171 vacancies overall, 134 in the probation officer series, and hopes to staff up within the next year with four classes of 50.
Salaam asks over what period juvenile rearrests rose 50% and what DOP attributes the increase to. Dessimore cites staffing shortages and officers carrying six or seven mixed units, and says DOP is aligning high-risk, moderate, and low-risk units and lowering high-risk caseloads.
Salaam says meaningful employment and visible examples help young people change course. Dessimore agrees that DOP needs to give opportunities and show young people what is possible.
Salaam asks what Intro 1104 would cost and whether DOP can be ready within the 90-day effective date. McKenzie says DOP is philosophically supportive, has recommendations to align the bill with business practices, and 90 days will be fine once changes are made.
Council Member Brewer asks whether there are enough alternatives to incarceration and programs for adults and young people. She shares an example of a mentally ill young woman with few program options and asks how DOP assesses program alignment.
Goodwin says DOP is reviewing current programs and convening community-based organizations to discuss availability and capacity. She says DOP may help providers extend resources so they can serve more people.
Brewer asks what kinds of programs DOP needs or whether existing programs need more capacity. Goodwin says DOP is reassessing and identifies employment, mental health and behavioral health, and housing as main components, and is mapping available resources.
Brewer asks whether public schools help with programs for students and raises housing needs. Eusebio says DOP had classrooms in NEON sites and is rebuilding that relationship, and says DOP works with DHS on housing as a stabilizing factor.
Brewer asks DOP to let the chair know what it needs after reassessing programs so the council can address gaps in budget season. Eusebio says DOP will come back for support and stresses collective work through the NEON model.
Brooks-Powers pivots to the intelligence unit and asks how many probation officers are assigned there. McKenzie says the unit has 14 probation officers, 10 supervising probation officers, two branch chiefs, and one associate commissioner.
Brooks-Powers asks about the intelligence unit's primary responsibilities and coordination with NYPD and other agencies. McKenzie cites the cyber unit, an officer detailed to HIDTA, and another with the U.S. Marshals Task Force, and says intelligence has been re-centralized.
Brooks-Powers asks whether someone can apply directly into the intelligence unit rather than coming up through the ranks. McKenzie says someone with a specific skill set like cyber might be pulled in, but DOP generally prefers officers with adult or juvenile field experience.
Brooks-Powers asks whether intelligence unit members supervise clients. McKenzie says they do not directly supervise clients and instead support case probation officers.
Brooks-Powers cites a 2025 report that 44% of NEON Works participants learned about the program from friends or family while only 18% learned from DOP. Goodwin says that was past practice and DOP hired a strategic initiatives and engagement officer to change direction.
Brooks-Powers asks whether the past policy meant most NEON participants were not DOP clients. Goodwin says yes, and says DOP is aiming for 60% clients and 40% community so clients get services first while keeping community involvement.
Brooks-Powers cites a 2025 report on barriers like school, jobs, caregiving, safety, and mental health support. Eusebio says NEON taps community resources and DOP is redoubling stakeholder engagement to connect clients to services, and Goodwin says the work is in process.
Brooks-Powers asks whether staffing shortages for DOP programs are solely the vendor's responsibility. Goodwin says it should be a collaborative approach between vendors and probation.
Brooks-Powers thanks the DOP panel for its testimony and responses. She dismisses the panel.
Brooks-Powers opens the hearing to public testimony and reminds attendees that decorum must be observed. She explains that speakers get two minutes, written testimony can be submitted, and audio or video recordings are not accepted as testimony.
Brooks-Powers calls the first in-person public panel: Delvaney Powell, Natalie Peoples-Stokes, and Youngmi Lee. She asks them to unmute and begin when ready.
Youngmi Lee of Brooklyn Defender Services says DOP can influence sentencing through pre-sentence investigation reports and often recommends jail or prison despite promised probation. She asks DOP to allow attorneys to attend probation interviews without a court order and to stop encouraging clients to deny guilt.
Lee asks DOP to recommend certificates of relief from civil disabilities in every probation report to help people obtain employment and licenses. She also urges DOP to restore early termination for people who have completed probation conditions, noting that clean slate relief depends on early termination.
Natalie Peoples of the Legal Aid Society says Intro 1104 does not go far enough because intake interviews happen post-arrest and pre-filing before counsel is assigned. She says decisions made during that interview can affect the long-term posture of a child's case and asks that counsel be required at that stage.
Peoples says DOP promised in March to end punitive practices and provide more support, but she has not seen those changes 10 months into the administration. She asks DOP to keep communication open with defense counsel, expand alternatives to incarceration, and change court practices.
Dalvney Powell, president of the United Probation Officers Association, says probation officers are underpaid relative to their peace officer responsibilities. She cites EEOC and federal lawsuits and analyses showing men earn nearly $5,000 more than women and white men earn about $14,500 more than women of color in DOP.
Powell says inadequate compensation is driving experienced officers to NYPD, Correction, and neighboring probation departments, increasing caseloads and reducing time for home visits and case planning. She urges the City Council to extend collective bargaining protections to probation officers and says safe decarceration requires strong, fairly compensated probation.
Powell says probation officers now have 11 steps but top pay is about $81,000 after 11 years, while parole officers start at $81,000 and neighboring counties pay over $100,000. She says the city trains officers who then leave for better pay, and calls for proper compensation to retain staff.
Brooks-Powers thanks Powell and says she wants conversations before the budget cycle about making probation jobs more attractive. She notes DOP will be important as the city transitions from Rikers Island to borough-based jails and calls for a holistic funding conversation.
Brooks-Powers asks whether public defenders' clients are prepared for intake interviews and whether counsel should be present. Peoples says many youth go through intake pre-filing before the right to counsel attaches, so defenders are often not involved, and says the Family Court Act allows intake information to be used post-fact-finding.
Brooks-Powers asks what information young people and families would most benefit from knowing before an intake interview. Peoples says families should know what kinds of cases probation will not accept for adjustment so they do not subject themselves to unnecessary inquiry.
Brooks-Powers asks Powell how workload feels different since January. Powell says the office environment is better but members are still suffering from the previous administration, officers are still leaving, and the union recently lost a whole gun unit in Queens.
Brooks-Powers asks whether the reasons officers leave differ from before the current mayoral administration. Powell says the problem is historical and inherited, and that the last contract had to revamp salary steps and give up vacation days to raise starting pay.
Council Member Brewer asks whether there are enough alternatives and programs outside probation to meet the needs of people they serve. She says her experience is that programs are insufficient and notes the commissioner is reassessing.
Powell says there was significant programming before the previous administration and DOP is now rebuilding. Peoples says good programs fill up and have waiting lists, and Lee says funding cuts eliminated vital programs and more ATD and ATI programs are needed to reduce juvenile detention.
Powell points to evening intake and weekend arraignment programs as another way DOP tries to keep youth out of detention. She says James Green works in those programs.
Council Member Narcisse asks whether probation has trained staff to assess children's mental health and trauma during intake and whether DOP tracks how many youth have such needs. Powell says she is not aware of a specific number.
Narcisse says understanding each young person's needs can make a breakthrough. Powell says probation officers make their own assessments and refer clients to outside partners, balancing social work and law enforcement roles.
Powell says probation officers have discovered a child just needed glasses and have taken youth to doctors or arranged eye and teeth checkups. Narcisse agrees that simple supports like glasses, hearing help, or family therapy can make a difference.
Narcisse asks how the current administration feels to the union. Powell says it is better and a process, and that they are cautiously optimistic compared to where they came from.
Narcisse says prevention and early support in schools can save lives. Powell says probation must build long-term relationships with clients, but turnover from low pay interrupts those relationships and causes clients and families to suffer.
Brooks-Powers thanks the public panel and dismisses them. She calls the next panel: Theodore Haywood and Prince Ogbang Jr.
Prince Ogbang Jr., a junior at NYU, says the 50% increase in youth arrests is alarming and calls for more investment in youth and communities. He describes growing up in Morris housing projects in the Bronx and says mentorship through the Bronx Leadership Organizing Center helped him and should be expanded.
Brooks-Powers thanks Ogbang and says she could not tell he was nervous. She encourages him to join organizations at NYU, explore council internships, and says the council must better communicate programs to young people.
Ogbang says many youth need a purpose and that speaking at the hearing is empowering. Brooks-Powers asks staff to get his contact information, and Narcisse encourages him to bring more young people to hearings and share what he learned.
Theodore Haywood, a conflict resolution specialist with Osborne Association, says he worked with NEON in 2013 and trained probation officers before budget cuts discontinued the program. He describes the BOGAP gun diversion program for adults with gun charges and says DOP has contacted him about restarting the model.
Haywood says young people often carry guns because of a poor identity and that the BOGAP program provides a safe space called 'the well' where rival groups get along. He says the program is in its 14th cohort with no gang or territorial incidents and that he has facilitated AVP conflict resolution for 50 years.
Brooks-Powers thanks Haywood for the historical perspective and his work. Narcisse thanks him for continuing to give to the community, and the panel is dismissed.
Brooks-Powers says the hearing will now turn to virtual panelists. She explains that staff will unmute speakers, the sergeant at arms will set the timer, and speakers should wait for the sergeant to announce they may begin.
Joanne Ojeda is called as a virtual panelist but says she is unable to mute at first and did not prepare testimony. She says she is from 1199, the acting vice president of the area, and wants to listen and participate next time.
Christopher Leon Johnson says he supports Intro 1104 and is surprised Legal Aid opposed it. He argues the bill should be amended to cover ages 18 to 24, saying young adults need to know their rights and that Legal Aid benefits from people taking plea deals.
Brooks-Powers says the committee has heard from everyone who signed up to testify and invites anyone missed to complete a witness slip or raise their hand on Zoom. She notes written testimony can be submitted within 72 hours and adjourns the hearing.