INYO, Calif. – February 4, 2022 – Inyo County Deputy Probation Officer (DPO) Lisa Vetter was recognized at the statewide 2021 Annual Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) Awards Ceremony as the CPOC Employee of the Year for the Central Region. This award is given to an employee of any rank selected by the CPOC Region for meritorious service, significant contributions, career achievement, or other reasons of the region’s choice. 

“It is an honor to recognize Deputy Probation Officer Lisa Vetter’s outstanding efforts to prevent repeat incidences of domestic violence in our community by using evidence-based practices,” said Inyo County Chief Probation Officer Jeffrey L. Thomson. “DPO Vetter’s ability to recognize a need for more robust domestic violence prevention classes in Inyo County, apply her training and education, and connect those services to meet the needs of the populations she serves exemplifies the best of what probation has to offer – protecting victims and restoring communities.” 

DPO Vetter was nominated for the recognition due to her tireless work to ensure that people Inyo County Probation supervises could more easily access evidence-based domestic violence prevention curriculum, where none had existed before. She was initially assigned to the Domestic Violence (DV) caseload and tasked with organizing and supervising the caseload by risk level while ensuring that community safety was a priority. Soon after taking over the DV caseload, DPO Vetter realized that an evidenced-based curriculum was needed, and there was a need for classes to serve those in the south county, to prevent a 45-60 minute drive each week for classes. 

She took it upon herself to make things better, and she sought out training on domestic violence and became a facilitator to administer the Corrections Counseling Institute’s Moral Reconation Therapy in the treatment of domestic violence. Within the first year, the program grew to four groups of both males and females, including a group from the south county. The classes are free of charge and currently have forty people attending in need of Domestic Violence interventions. 

“Chief Probation Officers of California wants to express our gratitude for DPO Vetter’s work in the area of domestic violence,” said Karen Pank, Executive Director of CPOC. “We are proud to have highly trained and educated officers who use evidence-based programs and trauma-informed approaches to keep our communities safe and transform lives and help individuals leave the justice system permanently.” 

The Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) is an association of all 58 counties with a shared identity as law enforcement leaders. CPOC is committed to a research-based approach to public safety that promotes positive behavior change. Their leadership guides policy and practice in prevention, community-based corrections, secure detention for youth, and direct human services. CPOC aims to prevent crime and delinquency, reduce recidivism, restore victims, and promote healthy families and communities. 

For more information about CPOC, please go to www.cpoc.org.  

Media Contact: Laura Dixon laura@cpoc.org 510-384-3020 

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