Los Angeles County Probation Department

The Los Angeles County Probation Department provides services for those placed on probation within Los Angeles County, California, USA. Cal Remington is the current Interim Chief Probation Officer. The department is the largest probation department in the world.HistoryThe department was established in 1903 with the enactment of California's first probation laws. Captain Augustus C. Dodds was appointed as first Chief Probation Officer of Los Angeles County. The first juvenile detention facility, now known as Central Juvenile Hall, was established on Eastlake Avenue in the City of Los Angeles in 1912. Also in 1912, the new Los Angeles County Charter made the county probation officer a county administrative officer and brought all Department employees under the merit system. The El Retiro School for Girls was established in Sylmar in 1919. By 1920, the department had 27 deputy probation officers, handling 1,893 Juvenile Court petitions and 690 adult cases each month. In 1921, W.H. Holland was named chief probation officer. In 1928, the department opened its first branch office, in Long Beach.In 1931, Kenyon J. Scudder was appointed chief probation officer. The department began its forestry camp program and established the first Community Coordination Council, initiatives which later was models for the California Conservation Corps and other programs. In 1935, the department opened its second branch area office, in Pasadena. In 1938, probation services were extended to Los Angeles Municipal Courts. In 1939, Karl Holton was appointed chief probation officer; he left in 1943 to assume the position of first director of the newly created California Youth Authority; John M. Zuck was appointed to replace him.