Families of SOs Community Group
WE HAVE MOVED!!! ............................. ............................... ......................... ............................ ............................. .......................... HERE: http://support-for-families.boards.net ............. ................ ............... ................ ............................... .................Please create a profile...
At around 2pm on 10/5/2015, two probation officers arrived at my residence.
They told me that they were going to search my property.
The other officer posted me in a chair by my bed and hovered over me in a terribly intimidating manner.
I did express to him my discomfort, but he showed zero empathy. Telling me that if I'm not hiding anything, I have nothing to worry about. Having armed officers hovering over you commanding you to move here and there is by no means a normal daily activity.
My PO told me that they would be taking my computer, phone, etc. and that they have an individual lined up to search my equipment. He knows that I am a computer programmer and I need it to work. He made it sound like I would be offline for a couple days.
Shortly thereafter 2 more officers showed up. A female and another male. The female turned out to be my new PO. The other man I didn't know. He seemed to be a tad bit computer literate.
They spent about an hour going through my room from top to bottom. Even making a comment about some unsanitary areas of my apartment.
My PO later expressed that it would be up to a week before I would have my equipment back.
She told me that I am not allowed to leave the immediate area without permission. And then my PO told me that since I don't have a phone, that I should more or less be in my room to wait on their call.
They left me with no ability to contact my family and friends.
They left me with no ability to get into my online bank and transfer funds, pay bills, etc.
On Wednesday my boss tried to reach my PO. He left a message, but she never returned the call. He was able to reach her on Thursday. He expressed that there is intellectual property on the laptop, that I am unable to work and that my employment is in jeopardy. She effectively said that she didn't care about that and when they're done with their search, we'll go from there.
I spoke to an attorney in Atlanta. he suggested I go buy another laptop to continue working. I relayed to him that I had my employer send me a new laptop. I called to confirm w/ my PO that this would be OK. She said "No".
I also spoke to an attorney in my area. He expressed that it sounds like they are bullying me and that I should be patient for a few days; maybe til Tuesday and see what happens. He didn't want me to spend a bunch of money on Friday, and get my equipment back on Monday.
Another attorney also relayed a similar message.
On Thursday 10/8/2015 I called my PO to ask about my equipment. In a very curt fashion she told me that they haven't started looking at it yet and that she had told me it could be up to a week.
On 10/13 I called my PO to ask if there were any updates on my equipment. She was polite, but said that she is home sick and the other officers are in training. To her knowledge there weren't any updates on the status. She told me to call tomorrow 10/14 for more information. I again asked if I could use the replacement laptop sent by my employer, to which she denied my request. I have now been unable to work for one full week.
Around 2pm on 10/15, I talked with my PO. He told me my stuff was ready and it was all clean. Around 3pm I arrived. He took me into a room where all my stuff was set out. I checked it against the inventory. I pleaded with him that this situation is impossible to keep a job. I tried to offer up having a spare computer that would already be deemed clean, but he said no. I walked out with all of the gear they had taken with nothing further said.
In total I lost 8 working days not to mention the stress of it. I did catch up on a lot of youtube videos and Charmed. Ug.
A couple pieces of useful information that I'll just share. I'm not going to go into much detail about what this means - you can PM me if you need.
Incognito mode in your browser works
wipe the free space on your hard drive with the command cipher /w:c
They told me that they were going to search my property.
The other officer posted me in a chair by my bed and hovered over me in a terribly intimidating manner.
I did express to him my discomfort, but he showed zero empathy. Telling me that if I'm not hiding anything, I have nothing to worry about. Having armed officers hovering over you commanding you to move here and there is by no means a normal daily activity.
My PO told me that they would be taking my computer, phone, etc. and that they have an individual lined up to search my equipment. He knows that I am a computer programmer and I need it to work. He made it sound like I would be offline for a couple days.
Shortly thereafter 2 more officers showed up. A female and another male. The female turned out to be my new PO. The other man I didn't know. He seemed to be a tad bit computer literate.
They spent about an hour going through my room from top to bottom. Even making a comment about some unsanitary areas of my apartment.
My PO later expressed that it would be up to a week before I would have my equipment back.
She told me that I am not allowed to leave the immediate area without permission. And then my PO told me that since I don't have a phone, that I should more or less be in my room to wait on their call.
They left me with no ability to contact my family and friends.
They left me with no ability to get into my online bank and transfer funds, pay bills, etc.
On Wednesday my boss tried to reach my PO. He left a message, but she never returned the call. He was able to reach her on Thursday. He expressed that there is intellectual property on the laptop, that I am unable to work and that my employment is in jeopardy. She effectively said that she didn't care about that and when they're done with their search, we'll go from there.
I spoke to an attorney in Atlanta. he suggested I go buy another laptop to continue working. I relayed to him that I had my employer send me a new laptop. I called to confirm w/ my PO that this would be OK. She said "No".
I also spoke to an attorney in my area. He expressed that it sounds like they are bullying me and that I should be patient for a few days; maybe til Tuesday and see what happens. He didn't want me to spend a bunch of money on Friday, and get my equipment back on Monday.
Another attorney also relayed a similar message.
On Thursday 10/8/2015 I called my PO to ask about my equipment. In a very curt fashion she told me that they haven't started looking at it yet and that she had told me it could be up to a week.
On 10/13 I called my PO to ask if there were any updates on my equipment. She was polite, but said that she is home sick and the other officers are in training. To her knowledge there weren't any updates on the status. She told me to call tomorrow 10/14 for more information. I again asked if I could use the replacement laptop sent by my employer, to which she denied my request. I have now been unable to work for one full week.
Around 2pm on 10/15, I talked with my PO. He told me my stuff was ready and it was all clean. Around 3pm I arrived. He took me into a room where all my stuff was set out. I checked it against the inventory. I pleaded with him that this situation is impossible to keep a job. I tried to offer up having a spare computer that would already be deemed clean, but he said no. I walked out with all of the gear they had taken with nothing further said.
In total I lost 8 working days not to mention the stress of it. I did catch up on a lot of youtube videos and Charmed. Ug.
A couple pieces of useful information that I'll just share. I'm not going to go into much detail about what this means - you can PM me if you need.
Incognito mode in your browser works
wipe the free space on your hard drive with the command cipher /w:c
I was in a similar situation where they took 1 1/2 years to complete the forensics returning my equipment minus the hard drives (including company equipment.) I got a replacement laptop which stayed at work so I could continue working (court approved...)
It took over a year after conviction working with the state police to recover the rest of my confiscated property. After they paid someone overtime to review my property finding nothing they destroyed it knowing full well that I wanted it back. I lost thousands of dollars of licensed software still in original packaging, a digital camera, a couple hundred DVD movies, CD's and VHS tapes.
This situation was post conviction. I realize I have no 4th amendment rights. Just trying to figure out how they justify that I'm supposed to maintain employment if they just swipe my stuff for 10 days. I happen to work for a company that is greatly flexible with me. Granted they get away w/ paying me a little over half of what market rate is.....Very few places would just let you disappear for 10 days without consequence.
Right now I have a plea offer on the table which actually states I can have a computer and smartphone as long as they are monitored. But of course it falls under the interstate compact as I reside in the neighboring state and a number of people I've talked to have said po's while they are supposed to follow the interstate compact sometimes don't.
Alladin4d told me...
"@FreeToBreathe - The interstate compact document is just for information to be used by a receiving state when determining whether or not to accept a transfer."
I'm still confused if its law or not. My receiving state used the compact to accept me but didn't know anything about lifetime probation until I'd been here 4 years and he queried my charging state about release from probation. There was nothing in my plea deal sentencing paperwork saying anything about lifetime probation.
I hope that we never have to suffer anything like that... There's more electronics in this house than I care to count, and that's just wrong to take them like that when your employment depends on them. It's easy to play their game most of the time, but near impossible when they go over the line. I can't wait till therapy is over...my lawyer will file to end probation the very next day. I can't wait!!
I can semi understand pre-conviction stuff. But this was my PO just checking up on me because they thought I was up to something and left me with nothing but my TV remote.
1)The sending state (meaning the state where you were originally convicted and sentenced, imprisoned/paroled etc) sets the rules/ standards of supervision according to what their supervision standards are for you.
2)The accepting state (the state you manage to go to after the sending state does a pile of paperwork to ask if you can transfer out of the state where you were convicted) reports back to your original state about whether you are complying with your original sending states standards. If you are non-complying they await the decision of the original state. If you are requesting changes to you supervision the state where you live now has to get the OK from the sending state for any changes you want. before you can do what you want otherwise you are non-compliant and can be violated and sent back to your original (sending) state. Even though your present restrictions may be stricter than other SO's in the state receiving/supervising you and where you now live.)
3) You must follow the original state's (sending state's) rules until the changes you request are approved by the original court etc) If your request for changes are denied and, say you go ahead and break your parole supervision rules, the receiving state has to report you are non-compliant and depending upon what the sending state decides you will likely be revoked (violated) and sent back to the original state where you were convicted to serve the rest of your sentence and probably have to get paroled again etc and get out and be under the same state restrictions anyway AND have a harder time getting a receiving state to accept you next time...(especially if you requested changes were denied and you went ahead and broke the supervision rules the sending (original) state/ court had just denied.)
As I understand it, You are still stuck with following whatever the original supervision rules ( say until you are off parole in the original/sending state unless you can get them to approve the exceptions you are requesting through the inter-state compact. .
I had no problems with being accepted by the receiving state (SC). I've been here for over 4 years. My sentence was 2 years minimum, 5 years maximum or until further order of the court with registry time until 10 years after probation. My 5 years expired in July and my PO contacted my sending state (VT) asking I be released. That is when VT told him that I was on probation for life. This is the first time me or my PO have heard of this.
SC doesn't even have a law for my charge in VT and the registry here doesn't have a tier 1 so I'm being treated as a tier 2 with lifetime registration.
Yes I feel I've been lied to by VT and won't get out from under this until spending another large chunk of money for a lawyer with no expectation that I'll win in one try....