Philly needs parole agents -- but who'd want the job?

WITH unemployment at a 16-year high in Pennsylvania, here's a lead on a profession in need: State parole agents.

The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole has long struggled to recruit, hire and retain agents to supervise parolees in Philadelphia. About 110 agents supervised more than 9,350 parolees here at of the end of February. That's 30 agents short of the 140-agent staff the board needs, board spokeswoman Sherry Tate said.

To Christian Stephens, there's little mystery as to why applicants aren't stampeding to collar ex-cons who misbehave in Philadelphia, where seven police officers have been slain on the job since May 2006.

"This is a tough town," said Stephens, a parole agent for five years who's based in North Philly. "When you're out in the county, you have a client who's dysfunctional. But in Philly, you're dealing with an entire family or neighborhood that's dysfunctional, with rampant drug use and unemployment. It's more social work than law enforcement; it's a harder job to do in Philly."

After serving a parole district for two years, an agent can request a transfer. About 20 percent of Philadelphia's agents seek transfers after completing that minimum, leaving the city with fewer experienced agents and more vacancies than other counties, Tate said.

"There is no place more problematic than Philadelphia," board Chairwoman Catherine C. McVey said.

Board officials blame that high turnover on:

* Money. Philly's adjusted cost of living is 11 percent higher than Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and surrounding areas, Tate said. And the city's 4 percent wage tax shrinks Philly agents' take-home pay, she added.

* Crime. Philly's streets are meaner and more criminally crowded; about 30 percent of the 45,000 ex-offenders under board supervision statewide live in Philly. Parolees tend to return to their old, high-risk neighborhoods, making recidivism likelier, McVey said. Philly's parole violators can be deadly in their desperation to stay free; parole violator Daniel Giddings ended a foot chase in September by gunning down Officer Patrick McDonald.

* Heavier caseloads. Because of job vacancies, Philly-based agents typically juggle 77 cases at a time, while their colleagues elsewhere in the state average 71, Tate said.

* Complex court system. Records in Philly are tougher to obtain, frustrating agents and shrinking their time for direct supervision.

To lure more applicants, the board has stepped up recruiting efforts, Tate said.

The board also created a pay differential for Philly-based agents. Statewide, the starting salary for a parole agent is $38,306; agents who pass a six-month probation see their salaries boosted to $43,752. Philly-based agents who stay at least four years get a 9 percent jump in pay, Tate said.

And the board has begun rehiring retired agents to do office work, freeing up younger agents to spend more time on the streets, Tate said.

Such efforts put Philly on pace to meet its 140-agent goal by June - if no agents retire, resign or transfer, which is unlikely, Tate added.

Stephens, for one, is staying put.

"This is home, and I enjoy the work I do," said Stephens, who grew up in East Falls.

To become a state parole agent, applicants must have a clean criminal history, pass medical and psychological exams, know how to use a firearm, complete the board's eight-week basic training and pass a civil-service exam. Application requirements can be seen at http://www.pbpp.state.pa.us