Purpose
This procedure will outline the steps, process and responsibilities for maintaining office coverage during the regular workday.

Introduction
It is the responsibility of all employees of the Community Sentence Division to ensure that office operations are completed as efficiently as possible. In order to maintain this efficiency, proper coverage for absent employees is a necessity at all times.

Procedure

1. Each offender sentenced to CS has the responsibility to report to the probation office. A probation officer will contact every offender under the supervision of the CS that reports to the CS office. In order to meet this requirement the following process will be completed:
   
   
   1. The Unit Manager will ensure that the CS probation office has the proper amount of staff in the office to perform office functions in the event another Probation Officer is absent from work. To ensure this coverage, the Unit Manager or designee will:
      
      
      1. Schedule the work hours of staff to ensure contacts with offenders occurring during the workday, to include the lunch hour, are completed by a Probation Officer.
         
         
   2. Duty contacts will be completed as follows:
      
      
      1. Prior to meeting the offender, the officer will secure the offender file and briefly review the court ordered requirements, probation plan and recent chronological record.
         
         
      2. After becoming familiar with the offender’s requirements, the officer will contact the offender and address these areas with the offender.
         
         
      3. The officer will assist the offender with any other areas that are a concern to the offender or the officer.
         
         
      4. After the contact is complete and all areas of concern have been discussed, the officer will set the next appointment time for the offender to report.
         
         
      5. After the offender has left, the officer will complete a thorough chronological entry into the offender’s file. The entry will be identified by the contacting officer’s first initial and last name.
         
         
      6. The offender file will be left on the absent officer’s desk in order for the absent officer to review the contact upon returning to work.
         
         
      Note: In order to reduce the risk of misplacing the offender’s file, no contact will be completed away from the absent officer’s desk. The offender file must be left at the absent officer’s desk.
      
      No file is to be taken away from the assigned officer’s desk, without the approval of the Unit Manager.
      
      
   3. In the event an officer is needed in court but is absent from work another officer may be assigned to substitute for the absent officer. Prior to reporting to the court, the officer will:
      
      
      1. Review with the Unit Manager the reason for the court assignment.
         
         
      2. Review any reports necessary.
         
         
      3. Gather any information needed by the court.
         
         
      4. Complete any tasks assigned by the court.
         
         
      5. The Unit Manager may assign other duties as required.