Douglas County is the 4th judicial district in the state of Nebraska. It is home to Omaha, which is one of the largest juvenile probation service providers in the state. In total, juvenile probation officers in the 4th judicial district are responsible for monitoring about 150 juvenile offenders each and every year, on average.
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In Douglas County, juvenile probation is separated into two sections within the district (4A and 4J,) with one serving just the juvenile population of the city of Omaha, and the other serving the juvenile population of the rest of the county. The Nebraska Probation System supervises all juvenile probation services in Douglas County and throughout Nebraska
Juvenile Probation Officer Roles in Douglas County
The juvenile probation system in Douglas County offers various opportunities for qualified candidates looking to be employed by the department in the 4th district. Most field and satellite offices consist of traditional juvenile probation officers and community program specialists, which are juvenile probation officers that work specifically with youth that are on an electronic monitoring system as part of their probation sentence.
The normal juvenile probation officers typically work with youth on probation as case managers, while community program specialists are typically only involved with the monitoring and investigative procedures.
In Douglas County, juvenile probation officers of either type are not considered peace officers, but are permitted to make arrests of juvenile offenders under their supervision.
Requirements to Become a Juvenile Probation Officer in Douglas County
Education – In order to be considered for juvenile probation officer jobs in Douglas County, applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree in the behavioral sciences. Fields of study include sociology, psychology, criminal justice, counseling, social work and other similar majors.
Experience – It is preferable for applicants to have at least one year of work, internship or volunteer experience in the fields of juvenile justice, mental health or a closely related career field. In some cases, more than one year of work experience in a related field can be substituted for the education requirement, as long as the applicant can demonstrate the skills and knowledge needed for the juvenile probation officer position.
Training – During the first year of employment, new recruits are required to complete 160 hours of training at an academy where they learn how to become Douglas County juvenile probation officers. After the first year of employment, juvenile probation officers are then required to complete an additional 16 hours of training during every year that they are employed with Douglas County and the state of Nebraska. Training subjects include communication skills, departmental procedures, arrest practices, defensive tactics training, report filing, case management skills and other duties and responsibilities that are required of a juvenile probation officer.