The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department and most of the municipal police departments in the county reported 1,303 felony crimes committed by juvenile offenders in 2011. While the greatest number of felony juvenile arrests reported in Sedgwick County in 2011 was for theft, the second largest category was for simple battery. This represented almost 24% of the cases. Nearly 85% of the arrests were for these two categories of crime. Smaller numbers of juveniles were arrested for battery and for aggravated battery.
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Court services officers, as juvenile probation officers are known in Kansas, handle the cases of youths that have been arrested in Sedgwick County for such crimes. Sedgwick County comprises the 18th Judicial District of Kansas, which is housed in the County Courthouse located on North Main Street in Wichita.
How to Become a Juvenile Probation Officer in Sedgwick County
Requirements to become a juvenile probation officer in Sedgwick County include having a bachelor’s degree conferred by an accredited college or university. Applicants must have had major course work in the following or a related field:
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Social work
- Counseling
- Criminology
- Corrections
Sedgwick County desires candidates who have the following attributes:
- Knowledge of the techniques of
- Interviewing
- Individual counseling
- Proficiency in communicating in English
- Ability to accurately and concisely communicate information
A variety of training classes are offered to Sedgwick County employees through the Human Resources Department, including improving computer and customer service skills.
Those who are committed to juvenile probation officer careers in Sedgwick County are encouraged to consider joining the Kansas Association of Court Service Officers.
Sedgwick County Community Crime Prevention Fund
To take a proactive approach to preventing juvenile crime in Sedgwick County, the Sedgwick County Community Crime Prevention Fund was implemented in 1998. This funds a number of programs designed to keep juveniles from becoming offenders. The follow programs were funded in 2013:
- Boys and Girls Club
- Targeted Outreach Program
- Communities in Schools
- Episcopal Social Services
- The Teen Intervention Program
- Aggression Replacement Training
- Higher Ground
- Learning the Ropes
- Kansas School for Effective Learning
- The Mental Health Association
- PATHS for Kids Program
- The Functional Family Therapy Program
- Youth for Christ