By Dana M. Nichols
The Record
SAN ANDREAS — Sam Leach, a supervising probation officer in Sutter County, has been named chief probation officer for Calaveras County. Leach will assume his duties in April, a year after former Calaveras County Chief Probation Officer Teri Hall retired.
Leach comes to Calaveras County after several years of sometimes tense relations between the Probation Department and some other law enforcement agencies, particularly the Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s Office.
The tension focused on California’s criminal justice realignment, a process that began in 2011 and that shifted responsibility to counties for incarcerating and supervising many criminals who previously would have been state charges.
State law and the realignment funding formulas have put pressure on counties to use “evidence based practices” that are shown to reduce recidivism. While Hall was an advocate for such practices, other law enforcement leaders expressed skepticism.
At the same time, Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz argued that his department was not receiving adequate funding to cope with inmates released to county supervision under realignment, and that the Probation Department was not working well with his agency.
Leach comes to the county with experience addressing such tensions. In addition to having worked since 2005 for the Sutter County Probation Department, he also operates a consulting business.
Through that consulting business, Leach has provided training and assisted many other county agencies in adopting the evidence-based methods.
Leach has a master’s degree in public administration from National University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, San Bernardino.
As chief probation officer, Leach will earn an annual salary of $111,009. He was appointed by Calaveras Superior Court Presiding Judge John Martin.