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 Sharing Our Stake in Maryland's Public Safety | October 2014 |
The Public Safety Stakeholder
 An E-publication of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for our Criminal Justice and Community Partners |
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Did You See Us
in the News?
Recent sightings of our public safety efforts in your local media are updated daily on the DPSCS homepage
Recent headlines:
Your4State.com 10/7/2014
Service Dogs Graduate from Training Program at Hagerstown Prison
Delmarva Now 10/9/2014
Inmate-trained vet dogs graduate at ECI
National Geographic 10/9/2014
Inmates Make Oyster Cages, Plant Hope for a Cleaner Bay
Baltimore Sun 10/30/2014
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To read more about the programs and people that make up DPSCS click here
Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!
  
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The mission of DPSCS is to protect the public, our employees and those under our supervision.
Governor Martin O'Malley Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown
DPSCS Secretary Gregg Hershberger
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More outstanding work by DPSCS staff and offenders: six dogs graduated from the America's VetDogs program. Two graduated from ECI; three graduated from MCIH; and one graduated from WCI. See more of our proud puppies on our Facebook page.
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This Month's Featured Stories:
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 | keeping communities safe |
The push is an outgrowth of the Violence Prevention Initiative initiated by Gov. Martin O'Malley in 2007 to target those who may commit violent crimes again. Once a VPI retake warrant is issued due to parole violations, the warrant unit hits the streets.
Continued here
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 | believing in human capital |
Parole and Probation Gives Fresh Start to Ex-Offenders
DPSCS Division of Parole and Probation administrators conducted a resources fair for detainees about to be released and ex-offenders of the correctional system to help them get a fresh start.
Blanche Chenault, acting field supervisor of the southwest Baltimore office, started the resources fairs seven years ago. They have now expanded to having 20 government and non-profit agencies staffing tables at the Baltimore City Detention Center recently to help those in the system ready to be released.
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 | public safety works |
Inmates came back to the river where they had helped place oysters into a sanctuary earlier this year, this time to do breakwater work, plant bay grasses, and remove brush.
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Warrant Unit Cracks Down on Most Violent Violators
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Since 2007, the unit has received 6,002 warrants, clearing 5,937, including making 2,665 arrests.
"We never stop making VPI warrant service attempts, they are always a priority," said Kevin Baylin, director of the department's Warrant Apprehension Unit. "It's a smaller number so we can give them more attention."
Unit members are on the streets at the crack of dawn surprising violators. About 60 percent of the warrants are from Baltimore.
"The outstanding VPI warrant service rate being achieved by the DPSCS Warrant Apprehension Unit detectives on a daily basis has a direct impact on the reduction of violent crime in the state of Maryland," said Ernest Eley Jr., director of the Division of Parole and Probation's Headquarters Unit.
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Parole and Probation Gives Fresh Start to Ex-Offenders
"I think the group will get valuable information to help them transition from the facility to the community," Chenault said.
Fair attendees received information ranging from how to handle mental health to getting drug treatment. The fair is now held twice each year. The division had its own table to let offenders know what to expect when it pertains to supervision by field agents.
"It's information that just helps to address their needs," Chenault said.
Ernest, a detainee, hit all the tables collecting brochures and information.
"I'm just looking for some help," he said. "I need this."
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A crew of four to six inmates waded into the water at low tide to help the "living shoreline" become a better looking place with improved erosion control.
Jennifer Carr of the South River Federation is a big fan of PSW crews, calling them some of the best workers the non-profit has had recently.
PSW has also helped a Patapsco River non-profit with a massive cleanup, and has plans to assist people on the Patuxent River as well. And with several department-owned boats now in the water, and correctional staff Coast Guard-trained to operate them, Public Safety Works can help just about any non-profit or government agency with its water-borne missions as well.
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