NM Corrections Department Employees Instructed to Falsify Fire Safety Records
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Probation and Parole Supervisor Sent Instructions Via E-Mail to District IV Regional Offices
A district supervisor in the New Mexico Probation and Parole Division instructed employees to falsify and backdate missing information on fire safety records before an inspection by the American Correctional Association. 
In an e-mail obtained by New Mexico Watchdog, Tim Olsen, Region IV Manager for Probation and Parole (pictured at right), directed employees to go back at least three months on fire extinguisher records and fill in information falsely showing that they had been inspected on a monthly basis. The District IV main office is in Roswell. Olsen supervises 60 probation and parole officers and employees in nine offices scattered throughout eastern New Mexico.
Here’s Olsen’s e-mail:
“From: Olsen, Tim, NMCD Sent: Tue 8/25/2009 11:13 AM
“To: Cordova, Angie, NMCD; Martinez, Jesus, NMCD; Calderon, Cynthia,
NMCD; Carter, Wade L., NMCD; Lucero, Terri, NMCD; Morales, Lisa, NMCD;
Muller, Kristy, NMCD
Cc: Barnes, Denise, NMCD; Cassidy, Diana, NMCD; Garrison, Melissa,
NMCD; Gutierrez, Donna, NMCD; Hoffman, Pam, NMCD; Jenkins, Doris L.,
NMCD; Newcomb, Terry, NMCD; Yturalde, Anna, NMCD
“Subject: Fire Extinguishers
Attachments:
I was just informed that the ACA inspectors will look at the fire
extinguishers in every office they go to. They will expect to see the
inspection tags on each extinguisher filled out as to monthly
inspections starting at least last June. So please go to your
extinguishers and enter a date and your name for last June, july and
this month. And make sure the gauges show that they are not
overcharged or undercharged.
Thank you.”
The District IV directory identifies six of the primary recipients as supervisors of Probation and Parole Offices, as follows: Terri Lucero (Roswell); Margaret Kennard (Hagerman); Lisa Morales (Carlsbad); Cynthia Calderon (Hobbs); Kristy Muller (Clovis); Wade Carter (Portales).
In addition to its own offices, District IV houses 95 probation and parole offenders from around the state who are in need of drug therapy.
New Mexico Watchdog contacted Olsen to ask why he sent such an instruction to people under his supervision. We have received no response. We will update this report if we do.
Tia Bland, Public Information Officer for the New Mexico Department of Corrections, issued the following statement on behalf of Secretary Joe Williams: “On the surface, this e-mail appears to be inappropriate; however, we won’t know if any action is warranted until we take a closer look at the matter.”
The New Mexico Corrections Department has incorporated numerous fire safety standards and protocols established by the ACA into its own fire safety policies (codified as CD-160100). The Department’s fire safety protocols state: “There shall be a comprehensive and thorough monthly inspection of the institutions by a qualified fire and safety officer for compliance with safety and fire prevention standards.” A fire safety officer is appointed in each office and facility. Fire extinguishers must be inspected monthly: “Every extinguisher shall have a tag or label showing the last monthly inspection, maintenance or recharge date and the initials or signature of the person who performed the service.”
Our call to the head of the standards and inspection division for the American Correctional Association has not been returned.
Posted under News.
Tags: New Mexico Departmetn of Corrections, Probation and Parole Division
21 Comments For This Post So Far
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7:34 pm on May 11th, 2010
What does Joe Williams mean on the surface ? It’s black and white. No getting around this one.
8:38 pm on May 11th, 2010
Apparently Olson missed the class on ethics as most of upper management. This guy is not even qualified to be in the position he holds as his degree is in foreign languages. This really helps out. [Comment partially moderated by site administrator] He needs to be moved on as does Joe Williams. I hear the circus is looking for a couple of clowns.
12:06 am on May 12th, 2010
This is just the beginning of what the region managers do in Probation Parole. I suggest you look into all of the region managers, as not only do they ask their employees to falsify records, they also create hostile work environments, bully and intimidate employees they don’t like or just have a thing against (guess this could be discrimination to?) Tim Olsen is a BIG BULLY as well as Robert May, Elsie Duran and Rose Bobchak. And what does Charlene Knipfing and David Jablonski do about this?…..NOTHING!!! Instead in a way to “fix” these problems, they reassign these employees to Central Office and create a position for them, so as not to have contact with the Region Managers. This has been going on for years and more so under the command of Knipfing and Jablonski.
12:37 am on May 12th, 2010
This is another example of an unethical Corrections Department official. Should anyone be surprised about this man’s ethics when he has unethical bosses like Joe Williams, Charlene Knipfing and David Jablonksi? One can only imagine what other unethical practices have been covered up by NMCD Central Office for far too long.
9:48 am on May 12th, 2010
Several correctional facilities solve the compliance problems regarding monthly inspections of fire extinguishers, insure their fire extinguishers are always ready to respond in the event they are called upon, and eliminate the opportunity for lost, misplaced, or falsified record keeping by installing electronic monitored fire extinguisher systems.
To learn more, visit http://www.engaugeinc.net
11:48 am on May 13th, 2010
Pretty obvious that all the posts are from lazy, sorry, ex employees of NMCD that are just bitter and no longer have a job because of how worthless they were! Every work place has a few idiots but there is no need to blast the whole department. Get A Life people!
3:17 pm on May 13th, 2010
I have never seen the morale so low as it is right now. Everyone says that they don’t know who to trust–my suggestion is to trust no one and just stay under the radar. What is the ultimate goal of all of this? Are people trying to get Charlene and David replaced? That’s just not going to happen–until the Governor is gone.
What can be done to fix this for the next 8 months? Should J Williams finally act like a boss and try to figure out a way for people to work together? He stays behind his locked (only can get in with the right code) door and does nothing to fix this problem. He tells people he would leave if he could. If you want something to change–the big boss needs to lead the way.
6:19 pm on May 13th, 2010
The only thing obvious here is that Crytoomuch is Tim Olsen or one of his cronies. Tim Olsen is instructing his employees to commit fraud, which is a crime. Have you ever worked with Tim Olsen or the NMCD? If not, stay out of this blog. The worthless employees which you mention are not the worthless ones, they are the fed up employees of management being worthless and held unaccountable for their actions.
7:02 pm on May 13th, 2010
Charlen and David are has beens—they’re so done–you can stick a fork in them!
What needs to be addressed now is one of the Governor’s Exempts is now being put into a acting classified position in charge of all capital projects for the Corrections Department. This is the guy who ran Corrections Industries into the ground–to the tune of 2 million dollars–was suspended–has no job responsibilities at all–he does nothing..and I’m not exaggerating… His name is Willie Marquez.
If he is put into a acting position (for the rest of the Governor’s term) after six months he is automatically put into the position for good. This is SO WRONG! THe people at Corrections are devastated that the Governor and J Williams would do this….CORRUPTION TIMES 100!!!
7:41 pm on May 13th, 2010
Crytoomuch posted their comment from a New Mexico state-owned computer located in the south Capitol complex at 715 Alta Vista, Santa Fe.
8:32 pm on May 13th, 2010
BUSTED!!! Thanks Jim. Everyone knew Crytoomuch was a crony.
9:01 pm on May 13th, 2010
Hey cry to much, whenJim finds out who you are, and he will you can change your name to CRY BABY. What is 1+1? Wrong the answer is 2. I hear another movie is in the works for Dumb and Dumber you should audition I’m sure you will get the part. Talk about employees not doing their job and being lazy, you just described yourself. Using a state computer on state time is also a violation of any state policy. You fit right in with upper management in that no policy pertains to you. So what fat cat told you to come to the rescue of the department or is this blunder your brain child? Say hello to Charlene. Your not worth any more of my time!!!!
10:42 pm on May 13th, 2010
To Crytoomuch:
There is a long list of DOC employees and former DOC employees who are voicing their complaints and telling the same stories of corruption within the DOC. Forty of them have gone to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.
Falsifying reports to cover up managerial acts of retaliation, destroying OSHA records, using Internal Affairs to target employees, and ultimately a continued pattern of harassment against anyone who challenges the Status Quo, WILL end up putting the likes of those who are abusing their authority, IN PRISON.
9:41 pm on May 14th, 2010
Just had to comment on the weight gain Olsen and Charlene have made in the past several months. Stems from emotional eating. This is called an eating disorder and it is from stress. Word on the street in Santa Fe is that Dairy Queen had to take out a restraining order on both of them. LOL. Guess you can hit Baskin Robbins!!
7:58 pm on May 19th, 2010
Hey Jim, you should really investigate the FACT that Tim Olsen HAS gotten violent with some of his employees, two to be exact. One incident was reported to Charlene and David, Tim had to drive up to Santa Fe to meet with them. Tim admitted to his actions, but claimed, “it wasn’t his fault, it was the bad employee.” There was NO action taken on this and that employee left. There was a second incident, the police were called to investigate, but Tim told them “the bad employee is lying” and nothing came of that. That employee also left. These where not verbal threats, but an actual push and throwing items. What excuses do the big bosses have for covering this one up?
6:05 pm on May 20th, 2010
In reply to Dan, All the management staff is getting overweight. I guess their all stressed. On the Tim Olsen thing, Jim check out who runs the ACA program within the Department of Corrections and who would have instructed Tim Olsen to lie.
3:59 pm on June 13th, 2011
I commented about 4 months ago. My comment had to be sent for ‘review’ before making the list above for comments, Why? Apparently you didn’t want the public to hear the truth and didn’t post my comment. So people hear what they want to hear, and when the truth is kept from them, it only gets worse. Shame on you for this.