Erie County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to workplace diversity. 

Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill future vacancies in the  Erie County Probation Department.

Examples of Duties:

A Probation Assistant assists probation officers in a local probation agency in tasks which may include performing predispositional/pre-trial related duties such as interviewing and screening individuals arrested and/or otherwise not yet adjudicated/sentenced for suitability for pre-trial release, making recommendations for release, monitoring individuals released into the community whose cases are pending; and notifying courts of case status;

Interviews individuals in custody of a law enforcement agency to assess their suitability for release from detention pending trial, monitors status of individuals released and notifies courts of their status;

Assists individuals receiving probation services in completing questionnaires and other documents, and by answering general questions;

Supports a probation department’s involvement with specialty courts at the direction of a Probation Director or his/her designee which may include gathering information; conducting drug/alcohol screenings; and contacting victims, law enforcement agencies, human service agencies, treatment providers and other involved parties as necessary;

Gathers information about individuals receiving probation services from a variety of sources, including but not limited to, public and private human services agencies, law enforcement agencies, courts and employers to verify social and legal histories of probationers; secures information regarding conduct and progress of probationers and helps resolve problems of probationers including problems related to housing, health care, employment, or other essential matters;

Obtains and forwards documents and information needed by law enforcement agencies and the courts in accordance with applicable regulations and/or statutes as directed by the Probation Director or his/her designee;

Registers and updates cases by entering data into a database or other electronic file, conducts record checks through local, state, and federal databases where authorized and produces electronic reports as needed;

Assists with the preparation of written memorandums, correspondence, transfer orders, discharge letters and other documents by gathering and relaying accurate information;

Records attendance at day reporting;

Performs a variety of office and/or clerical tasks including answering the phone, photocopying, and creating, filing and maintaining records;

May perform drug and alcohol screenings and collect DNA samples;

May prepare files for intra or interstate transfers and prepare and monitor inter/intra state transfers out of the local jurisdiction;

May provide employment preparedness assessments and employment related training and assistance.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A.) Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the Board of Regents to grant degrees, with an Associate’s degree or higher in criminal justice, human services, chemical dependency counseling, business administration, or a closely related field or;

B.) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and two (2) years of experience working with the public in a public or private human services agency or a criminal justice or juvenile justice agency or;

C.) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Possession of a current driver’s license or the ability to otherwise meet the transportation requirements of the position.

Notes:

1. The class specifications including the minimum qualifications for positions in Probation Departments are established by rule and regulations of the Division of Criminal Justice Services. These class specifications are found in Title 9 NYCRR Part 347, Appendix H-10, Standard Specifications for Professional Probation Positions.

2. This position is allocated to the competitive class pursuant to Executive Law Section 257(1)

3. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements. COUNTY OF ERIE - DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL invites applications for the position of: Probation Assistant #65-655 - Open Competitive (open to the public)

4. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application. All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

A Guide to the Written Test for the Probation Series is available on the Department website at https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

Subjects of Examination:

Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

Preparing written material
These questions test for the ability to write the kinds of reports and correspondence required in criminal justice settings such as probation and parole. Some questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately. Others test for the ability to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly.

Evaluating conclusions in light of known facts
These questions will consist of a set of facts and a conclusion. You must decide if the conclusion is proved by the facts, disproved by the facts or if the facts are not sufficient to prove or disprove the conclusion. The questions will not be specific to a particular field.

Applying written information
These questions evaluate a candidate's ability to read, interpret and apply rules, regulations, directives, written narratives and other related material. You will be required to read a set of information and to appropriately apply the information to situations in various settings. All information needed to answer the questions is contained in the rules, regulations, etc. which are cited.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.