I recently took the test for the state of Nevada DPS officer I. The department classifies all new state troopers, and parole and probation officers among other divisions as DPS Officer I. I scored very high on the written test and oral board, and requested to work to the Highway patrol division. However I was recently told that I was selected instead for the Parole and Probation division. Does anyone out there have any input on what Parole and Probation officers have to deal with, I have never considered a career as one until now.   thx

I have worked in the NV DPS Div. of Parole & Probation and retired after about 23 years of state service.
P & P in NV has gotten much, much better over the years.  It is a very law enforcement oriented division and after you graduate from the DPS academy you then receive your division specific training.  Unlike most other parole and probation agencies, NV P & P officers are armed with a state issued .40 pistol (mine was the SW 4006), an ASP baton, and pepper spray.  You will most likely be issued a hand held radio and charger (most all vehicles have radios also), a flashlight, a vest and other gear.  Most officers and first line supevisors (sergeants) have take home vehicles (unmarked with ordinary passenger car plates).  Training is on-going during the year with quarterly range qualification, annual DT training and other POST required classes to fill the 24 hour requirement.

As for daily activities you may have a regular caseload of probationers and parolees of about 70 to 75 offenders.  Specialized caseloads of hard core drug offenders, gang members, sex offenders, and persons on electronic house arrest usually have a caseload around 30 offenders.  Most officers have three or four days a month that are office days where your offenders are to report to you.  Usually one evening a week you will work a swing shift and be out looking for your subjects at their residences or other locations.  Specialized caseloads will require officers to spend more time looking for offenders.
Some investigations will come your way such as pre-parole (offenders awaiting release from prison need to have their plan of residence and employment verified), compact investigations (offenders from other states have requested that their supervision be transferred to Nevada), and other assigned investigations.

The Las Vegas district now called the Southern Command has about 125 sworn officers and this can only grow over a period of time.  NHP almost always has empty slots and both NHP and NPP have been given approval to add additional positions in the Southern Command.  The money has improved a great deal over the years especially since 1990 when upgrades in salary began and this repeated itself several times.  I was hired in 1980 as an Officer II (had prior experience elsewhere) and the starting pay was about $15000/yr.  The starting pay now for an Officer I is probably in the mid-$40s'.  After the first year you jump to a DPS Officer II with a big raise.  After another two years you can apply to become a first line supervisor (SGT).  They usually supervise a team of about six officers.  Mid level management positons come next (LT and CAPT).  If your performance is good you can ask for a transfer to another division like NHP or NDI (Nevada Div of Investigations).  Some people at NPP have tested for LT, having never worked in NHP, been promoted on the first attempt, and went over to NHP to work.  So if you don't like NPP you can easily transfer as a journeyman or later as a supervisor or manager.

As for advantages and otherwise, at NPP you usually have your most of your weekends  and holidays off unless you are in a special unit that may require your response such as house arrest.  At NHP you can count on working weekends and holidays (good for the overtime).  Both divisions usually give you a vehicle to take home saving on commuting expenses.  If you are very good with firearms or defensive tactics you can expect to be asked to attend instructor school and become an instructor in one of those areas.  If you have other special knowledge, skills, or abilities the division will put you to work teaching.
I taught classes on criminal justice information systems and was a radio problem solver for technical and administrative problems.  I enjoyed it.   

It's not a bad place to work especially if you enjoy lots of hard work.  Remember the public safety retirement plan in Nevada.  You can go out the door and collect if you have just 20 years of service and are age 50, ten years of service at age 55, or 25 years of service at ANY age.  The State also gives me free health insurance as a retiree.  I am not complaining and am about to start another government job out of state shortly and in ten years I will have another retirement.

Enjoy the Nevada Department of Public Safety.   

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