Probation and Parole officers in the sixth judicial district in Cedar Rapids will now be able to carry firearms. The Iowa Board of Corrections today approved the plan to arm the officers, making it the fourth judicial district in Iowa to get approval. Assistant Department of Corrections Director Fred Scaletta says the Board also moved to change its rules so the officers are properly trained to handle the weapons.Scaletta says the officers felt they needed to be armed to protect themselves.Scaletta says parole and probation officers often have to go into problem areas without any backup as police departments often don’t have enough staff to send cops along with the parole officers. Officers in the fourth district in Council Bluffs, the fifth district in Des Moines and the eighth district in Ottumwa already carry firearms. There are eight judicial districts in Iowa.
