Mohave Daily News: Local

KINGMAN - After six months of searching, Mohave County finally has a new chief probation officer.

Friend Walker of Alexandria, Va., will start Oct. 30, taking over a department with 125 employees in Kingman, Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City.

Walker will oversee the adult and juvenile probation department and the 45-bed juvenile detention facility as well as answering to six Superior Court judges and a half dozen pro-tempores judges.

“I'm very excited about this fantastic opportunity and look forward to serving the residents of Mohave County,” Walker said.

Walker has a master's degree in criminal justice at Grambling State University and a bachelor's degree from New School University in New York.

Walker also has 20 years law enforcement experience at the federal and local levels, including working as a police chief in Collinsville, Ill.

Walker is currently the chief criminal investigator for the Department of Defense criminal investigation task force in Fort Belvoir, Va. The multi-service task force investigates suspected terrorists following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

County supervisors recently approved funds to increase the chief probation officer's salary to $105,114 and $132,478 for salary plus benefits.

The board also approved to allocate relocation expenses for $8,762.

The probation office has been without a chief probation officer since Rod Marquardt retired in March after 30 years with the department and almost 29 years as chief probation officer. Former Assistant Chief Probation Officer Doris Goodale also retired in February after 33 years with the department.

Walker is expected to choose his own assistant chief probation officer.

Earlier this year, nine applicants for the chief probation officer position went through a two-stage interviewing process.

A chief probation officer from an upstate New York county was chosen over eight other candidates but decided not to take the position.

The position of chief probation officer requires a master's degree and at least 10 years experience with a probation or corrections office.

Marquardt's retirement left an opening on the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission as well as on the Arizona Supreme Court's Committee on Probation and the State Committee of Probation Officer's Safety.

Probation officers oversee adult and juvenile criminal offenders charged with everything from possessing or selling methamphetamine, theft and other misdemeanor and felony crimes.