CATONSVILLE, Md. – When Parole and Probation Agent Davis Martinez was killed during a regularly scheduled home visit on May 31, his fellow members of AFSCME Local 3661 lost more than just a dedicated colleague. Martinez, 33, was also a beloved friend to many probation and parole officers in Maryland, and he was a proud member of AFSCME.
“He was kindhearted and always willing to help others,” said Denna Avila, a drinking and driving monitor for the state of Maryland and executive board member of Local 3661 (AFSCME Maryland Council 3).
Avila led a moment of silence outside Catonsville District Court, where around 80 AFSCME members gathered on June 11. Members held a rally and a press conference to repeat their calls for improved safety protocols, safer staffing levels and accountability from state leaders.
For more than a year before Martinez’s murder, probation and parole staff who are members of Local 3661 made at least six attempts to resolve their safety concerns with management at the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) and the Division of Parole and Probation (DPP).
Rayneika Robinson, president of Local 3661, speaks at the rally and press conference on June 11 in Catonsville, Maryland.
“Time and time again, our concerns were dismissed,” explained Rayneika Robinson, president of Local 3661. “And on May 31, just over a week ago, our cries and concerns became our reality.”
Holding signs that read “Protect Our Agents!” and “Collaboration = Safety,” AFSCME members in probation and parole made public a list of specific demands.
Their urgent priorities include conducting home visits and office visits virtually until new safety policies have been negotiated with the union; getting a third-party review of DPP procedures and worksite safety; procuring adequate protective equipment; and getting enhanced training, safety protocols and safe staffing levels so agents can perform home visits in pairs.
“We will not let Agent Martinez be forgotten,” declared Council 3 President Patrick Moran. “This should be a wake-up call to all the other state agencies in Maryland that they need to keep their employees, our members, safe. When your staff raises concerns and health and safety issues with you, you must address them. You must work out a solution and next steps for everyone’s safety before it is too late.”
Probation and parole staff are among 100,000 public safety officers AFSCME represents across the country.
Public safety professionals are increasingly turning to AFSCME to build power at work, and to advocate for safety on the job, better wages, good health care and a secure retirement. AFSCME members in corrections, law enforcement and emergency response defend our freedoms and those of the communities we serve.
