TN- Armed Probation Officers to Hit Shelby County Streets

10-9-2008 Tennessee:

Memphis, TN -- Coming to a neighborhood near you---probation officers packing heat.

Moody Whitfield will be one of the armed officers. He says, “We’re taking this step because offenders are more violent now…you never know what to expect.”

-In other words, hey we got a federal grant, why not use to for a show of force..

To make sure officers will be ready, the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole is testing out an armed Apprehension Unit. In addition to carrying guns, the Apprehension Unit will also serve warrants, assist probation officers on visits to high risk neighborhoods, go after the most violent offenders and take them into custody if necessary.

Whitfield says, “It sort of even things up. The offenders are more violent today they don’t have a problem hurting law enforcement or police officers, so it make us feel a little better knowing we have something to protect us and the community if we have to.”

For now the Apprehension unit is a pilot program. Teams will be placed in Jackson, TN and Shelby County. Officers in the unit had to complete eight weeks of police academy training at Walter State Police Academy in Greenville, TN. Member of the unit will be armed with .357 glocks, the same guns used by Tennessee state troopers.

Officers will begin their rounds at the end of October. One of their first assignments will be tracking down sex offenders just in time for Halloween. ..News Source.. by Tenikka Smith