Reader Concerned Citizen writes in response to our recent story on the efforts of juvenile probation officers to unionize:

It is my understanding that all Clark County Juvenile Probation Officers are Category II P.O.S.T Certified. Why are these Officers required to be trained and certified as Peace Officers, required to be sworn in as Peace Officers, and issued badges and shields identifying themselves as Peace Officers if County Management refuses to acknowledge their status as Peace Officers?

It is also my understanding that Juvenile Probation Officers are required to make arrests, without weapons and until recently without bulletproof vests. An overwhelming number of youth offenders are arrested and booked with gun related and other charges involving a variety of dangerous weapons, and these “Officers” are not being afforded the basic equipment to safely do their jobs.

It really seems to me that the County Management is stuck somewhere in the 20th century where youth offenders rarely committed violent crimes and were rarely arrested for gun related charges. The last time that I checked, these same youth offenders that these Officers are required to arrest are the same youth gang members who have been responsible for the senseless murders that have been affecting our communities.