Missouri DOC Command Center Impresses Corrections Professionals

        
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Any Corrections agency with intensive levels of community supervision must have a 24-7 operation to respond to critical violations. That was the message four Missouri Department of Corrections' professionals delivered earlier this month at the Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference in Denver. Probation and Parole (P&P) Analyst Brian George, Command Center Unit Supervisor Dave Haslag and P&P Assistant II's Matt Duckett and Trevor Harrison delivered the presentation to about 350 corrections professionals. Representatives from the United States, China, Thailand, Taiwan and Canada attended the June 11 presentation.

"I believe that most people would say that Electronic Monitoring programs, such as Radio Frequency, Global Positioning Satellite tracking, Alcohol Monitoring, and Voice Verification would top the list of technological advancements," George told the Horizon. "I would agree that these forms of supervision are great technological advancements, but without a 24/7 monitoring/command center these technologies are limited by the traditional work day of the supervising officers."

"The conference provided the information necessary to develop a 24-7 monitoring center, through the use of position descriptions for staffing, sample work schedules for a rotating schedule to insure proper coverage, policy and procedure development, standard operating procedures development, work tracking spreadsheets and alert investigation protocol," George told the Horizon. "There was a lot of interest at the conference in our Command Center. They see us at the forefront."

The group's presentation also covered Voice Verification, which is an effective method of confirming an offender's identity by comparing the voice on the telephone with a previously obtained voice sample. This type of monitoring is primarily used if there is an equipment problem or if an offender is pending placement on Electronic Monitoring.

The Department of Corrections Command Center is a 24-7 communication center created to ensure that offenders assigned to community corrections programs maintain their curfews and adhere to other restrictions as required around the clock. The Command Center in Jefferson City opened in 1995. Since its inception it has grown to respond to all alerts generated from offenders on traditional radio frequency, GPS, voice verification and alcohol monitoring. It also serves to issue warrants for electronic monitoring violations, Community Release Centers, residential facilities, escapes from the Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) and backup warrant entry for Community Supervision Centers and P&P district offices. In addition the Command Center serves as an emergency contact number for all offenders on P&P supervision and contact point for all law enforcement nationwide in the confirmation of warrants.

During the last several years, the Missouri Command Center has served as a model for other Criminal Justice organizations in the development of their own monitoring centers. Information has been requested and provided to the North Carolina Division of Community Corrections, New York Pretrial Services, Arizona Department of Corrections, Oklahoma Juvenile Program and the China Ministry of Justice. Representatives from the Iowa Department of Corrections and the Cayman Islands traveled to Jefferson City to tour the Command Center.

"Our aim in attending and presenting at this Denver conference was to provide a resource for other agencies that may be considering setting up a 24-hour monitoring center. We presented the benefits of having a full-time monitoring center and even included tools that agencies can utilize to create their own," Duckett told the Horizon. "The best part of attending the conference was getting an inside look at how other agencies monitor their offenders and the difference in technology that agencies use around the country. It was also interesting to take a look at some cutting-edge technologies in electronic monitoring."

"We provided attendees with information about how we staff the Command Center and how we schedule employees to monitor continuous 24-hour coverage," Haslag said.

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