Probation chief urges council to fund officer after state grant cut

Leanne Riesenbeck, chief probation officer for Vigo County, told the budget committee a state grant that had paid for one full-time probation officer since 2016 was fully eliminated and requested that the county fund that officer with county general funds.

Riesenbeck presented caseload data and operational context: "We are supervising 1,103 high moderate risk clients, and then we are also supervising 546 low risk clients," she said, noting a total of 1,738 active probation cases plus about 1,145 informal nonreporting cases. She said the supplemental probation fund previously covered a staff position but has been exhausted. "If we lose that position, we're gonna have to absorb those cases," she said, warning that higher caseloads increase the risk that probationers will not be adequately supervised.

Judicial and law-enforcement representatives in the room said probation and deputies serve different but complementary public-safety roles; a judge told the committee probation’s supervision provides information that can reduce custodial decisions at initial hearings. Committee members said the request will be forwarded to the full council for consideration during the budget process.