If you can't trust a probation officer, whom can you trust?

Fraud Spotlight: Unusual frauds or fraudsters

We set high expectations of integrity and honesty for law enforcement and court personnel. We trust them to behave at a higher standard. When they violate that trust, the ramifications are greater than usual fraud.

Bill was a probation officer in Tiger County's community corrections department in a rural mid-size city in the Midwest of the U.S. (We've changed all names of people and places.) He was responsible for maintaining contact with those placed on probation or work release by district court judges.

Also, as a courtesy to probationers and other county court districts, Bill supervised individuals who lived in the county but were on probation from another court. Because the community corrections department dealt with less-than-lawful clientele, it was careful to create controls to protect probation officers and other department personnel from harm, including making sure they were never alone in the department with a probationer. Unfortunately, the department failed to institute controls to protect the clientele from the actions of its own officers.