Former Havre Police Chief Kevin Olson takes over probation and parole

Department of Corrections director Mike Batista announced Monday in a press release that former Havre Police Chief Kevin Olson has joined the department as administrator of the Probation and Parole division.

Olson, who was appointed Havre police chief in 2000, left that job to head the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in 2004.

“Kevin brings a wealth of experience as a public safety manager and the strong relationships he’s developed with the department’s criminal justice partners,” Batista said in the release. “It’s important to have an administrator who understands the multiple hats our probation and parole officers are expected to wear every day — part cop, part coach, part counsellor — and Kevin gets that.

“As the new Probation and Parole division administrator, I am confident that Kevin can achieve the balance of public safety and effective rehabilitation we need to reduce crime and lower the rate at which offenders return to Montana’s criminal justice system,” Batista said.

Olson has 34 years in law enforcement including on the Havre police force and at the Law Enforcement Academy.

“I am extremely honored to become a part of the team of dedicated corrections professionals who work tirelessly each and every day to balance the need to reform the behavior of the offenders we supervise, and the safety and security of the citizens we serve,” Olson said in the release.

The Department of Corrections Probation and Parole division oversees 140 officers who supervise approximately 8,500 offenders in communities throughout the state. The division is also responsible for managing the state’s boot camp and the contracts for community prerelease centers, drug and alcohol treatment programs, and assessment, sanction and revocation centers.