While Probation Chief Don Blevins last day at work will not be until October 21, 2011, he officially tendered his letter of resignation to Supervisor Michael Antonovich on Thursday, October 13.
He cited personal reasons for his exit.
Blevins was sworn in as the chief of the extremely troubled Probation Department in April of 2010. Although well liked in Alameda, some wondered if any one person was up to the challenge of reforming the highly dysfunctional Los Angeles County agency without the addition of some kind of federal oversight such as a federal consent decree. It was just such a consent decree that was considered a significant part of what allowed former LAPD Chief Bill Bratton to make great strides in reforming LA’s once badly-ailing Police Department.
This past summer, Blevins days appeared to be numbered when he suffered various setbacks —including a very public Vote of No Confidence by the labor unions who represent most of Probation’s employees.
His future in Los Angeles was also likely harmed by the perception that too little progress had been made on reforming the juvenile probation camps as required by an agreement with the Department of Justice. A crucial DOJ review of the state of the camps will take place on Oct. 31. If federal officials aren’t happy with what they see, they could up the ante considerably with a federal consent decree. (Which might not be a bad thing at all, by the way.)
Recently Blevins remarked on Larry Mantle’s Off Ramp show on KPCC that most of the goals set by the Feds have been met in the youth camps, and that the Oct. 31 review will likely be a positive one.
However, sources familiar with the camps say that, while some of the easier “boxes” may have been checked by Probation, the DOJ requirements that have most to do with improving the health and well being of LA County’s young charges have, in fact, not been met.
Los Angeles County supervisors have entered negotiations with Stanislaus County Probation Chief Jerry Powers to take control of their troubled department. No word as yet on whether the deal with Powers has been officially closed.