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Brian Adey
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     Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today announced that Oneida County Probation Department Director Al Belmont is among the veteran county employees participating in the County’s Early Retirement Program.

     “Al Belmont has done an outstanding job as the Director of the Probation Department for Oneida County,” Griffo said. “It’s a very difficult and often very thankless job, but Al has done a wonderful job of balancing the needs for protecting the people of our community as well as helping people who have made mistakes in their lives get the structure and support they need to keep moving in a positive direction.”

     Belmont joined what was then known as the Oneida County Adult Probation Department in 1969 as a Probation Officer. He worked his way up through the ranks of the department, serving as a Senior Probation Officer and Provisional Supervisor before serving as Deputy Director from 1983 to 1990. He was appointed Director of the Probation Department in July 1990 by County Executive John Plumley, and has served in that capacity ever since. Belmont has a MSW degree from Syracuse University. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and served with the Utica-based 865^th Combat Support Hospital.

     Griffo noted that the Probation Department deals with about 900 youth cases per year through the Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) program and also supervises about 1,700 adult probationers through various levels of intensity providing a layer of community protection.

     Griffo noted that during Belmont’s tenure as director, the Probation Department has worked with him as part of Griffo’s effort to reduce county costs for providing required services. “Probation’s juvenile electronic monitoring has provided a cost effective alternative to detention and residential placement for troubled youth. By paying $1,500 per year, we save $1 million per year and we are getting more youth started on better lives,” he said. “That’s the kind of effort that provides good programs that meet our needs.”

     Griffo also noted that Belmont has strongly supported Griffo’s effort to track serious sex offenders living in Oneida County. “Probation provided extensive information and support in my decision to implement a GPS system that will track the most serious offenders,” Griffo said. “The technical expertise provided by the Department helped us arrive at a decision on how best we could address this problem.”

     Griffo said Deputy Director Thomas Marcoline will serve as the acting head of the Probation Department.