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By: Meyer Wolfsheim
The president of the probation officers union sharply criticized the Department of Probation’s handling of an incident involving 5,000 unaccounted-for bullets from the NYPD’s Rodman’s Neck firing range in the Bronx, NY Daily News reported Monday.
Union leader Dalvanie Powell condemned the agency’s treatment of two female probation officers who uncovered the missing ammunition last July. Instead of being commended for flagging the issue, the officers became the focus of an internal investigation, were abruptly transferred, and ultimately filed for retirement in recent weeks, Powell told The News.
“This is yet another example of how the current administration always acts first and maybe asks questions later,” Powell said.
“These two female members did the right thing by immediately reporting the ‘missing bullets.’ They were the only ones who created a record-keeping system—not the agency. Instead of being recognized, they were ridiculed, mistreated, and abruptly transferred before the investigation even concluded.”
According to NY Daily News, the issue came to light in July when the officers realized that 5,000 bullets, purchased for probation officers’ firearms training, were missing. They immediately reported the discrepancy to two assistant commissioners in the Probation Department, yet no action was taken for months.
It wasn’t until December that another probation employee escalated the matter by filing a complaint with the NYPD, The News reported.
Powell said the handling of this incident reflects broader dysfunction under Commissioner Juanita Holmes, contributing to a sharp rise in employee departures.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s February 2 report highlighted a significant turnover rate within the Department of Probation. According to the report, the agency has experienced a staggering 128% attrition rate compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Between 2016 and 2019, an average of 67 officers left each year. However, in 2022, that number jumped to 148. The trend continued in 2023 with 157 departures and 152 more in 2024, The News noted.
“When dedicated and experienced employees are treated unfairly, it not only harms them personally but also weakens the agency as a whole,” Powell said. “The commissioner and her administration owe my members a great deal—starting with an apology.”
Mayoral spokeswoman Amaris Cockfield previously stated that an internal review determined the bullets were merely “improperly inventoried.” As a result, one assistant commissioner was suspended for 30 days and demoted. However, she declined to provide a detailed timeline of events.
Powell argued that the department failed to communicate the investigation’s findings to the union, the two officers, or their legal representatives until after the officers had already filed for retirement. Even then, they were only told the allegations were deemed “unsubstantiated” but were not provided with a written report or a clear explanation of what that meant.
“These officers had long, respected careers in Probation,” Powell said. “We have a lot of questions—starting with what really happened and when this investigation was actually concluded.”
She insisted that the officers’ retirements were not voluntary but a forced response to the humiliation and damage to their professional reputations.
“To be clear, they did not retire by choice,” Powell said. “They retired because of the humiliation they suffered and the damage to their reputations.”
