County will ‘double fill’ juvenile probation position

The Hays County Juvenile Probation Department will be able to double fill a juvenile probation analyst position for two months starting April 1.

At its meeting last Tuesday, the county commissioners court heard from Shelly Williams, head of the department, about the need to double fill the position. The current juvenile probation analyst, Mary Ann DeLeon, will be retiring at the end of May, she said.

“I do shudder to think about that,” Williams told the commissioners.

The county agenda described the juvenile probation analyst position as “a specialized independent position requiring technical expert knowledge and skills regarding the state software system and a multitude of other duties.” Williams emphasized DeLeon’s knowledge and skills and the need for her eventual replacement to be trained by her for as long as possible.

“Her position has evolved over the years,” Williams said. “It’s become very complex in the reporting requirements and law compliance . … Mary Ann’s skill set and knowledge is very unique. Losing her is going to be losing a valuable county employee.”

Double filling the position will also help the department become current in fulfilling new law requests. The commissioners approved the additional staffing unanimously, with County Judge Ruben Becerra absent for training.

The commissioners also approved and accepted the 2018 racial profiling report from the sheriff’s department. The department reported 3,080 traffic stops in 2018. The drivers in 2,495 stops were white; 391 drivers were Hispanic, 143 were Black, 17 were Asian, seven were Native American and 27 were identified as “other.” In the majority of those traffic stops — 3,031 — the ethnicity of the driver was not known before the stop, the report states.

In other business, the commissioners authorized the execution of Fiscal Year 2019 grant agreements with the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration for overtime reimbursements for the sheriff’s office Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The sheriff’s department receives annual funding from the DEA to offset overtime costs for the detective who is assigned to the task force.