Presentence Officer Virtual Training Program

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

The Presentence Investigations Division (PSI) of the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department (MCAPD) has shown flexibility and resilience throughout the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. PSI persevered through dramatic staffing fluctuations, transitioned to a largely remote working environment, and assisted community supervision staff by assuming court reporting duties for thousands of reports that combine new offenses with probation violation offenses. During this period of change, an opportunity was highlighted to transition the new PSI officer training program from a reliance on in-person training to a more agile virtual platform. The virtual training program eliminated inefficiencies such as redundant printed instructional materials and duplication of trainer efforts in favor of an online central repository of information and virtual trainings that provided new staff with access to teams of multiple experienced trainers, officers, and supervisors. The measurable benefits realized by the PSI virtual training program demonstrate the impact of organizational flexibility and stand as an example of how leveraging technology can meet the challenges of a modern workplace changed by the pandemic. Buoyed by the response to the flexibility this training offered PSI staff, this training process will remain in place even as staff return to the office.