County, judges reach deal to add probation officers

Carrie Napoleon

CROWN POINT — The understaffed criminal courts will be getting five new probation officers, but how the county plans to pay for them remains up in the air.

The Lake County Council on Tuesday approved hiring the five new probation officers for a total of $184,801 in salary plus benefits to bring the courts closer to the state standards defining how many probationers one probation officer can manage.