East Lyme — Connecticut parole officers often go unnoticed in the community as they supervise about 4,500 people who have been released from prison but remain under state supervision.

They are sworn officers, just like police, who carry guns and have the power to arrest those suspected of violating the conditions of their release. But parole officers also help those they supervise learn how to flourish in society. They might deliver a drug-addicted parolee to a detox center, and they make themselves available 24 hours a day to monitor their cases, according to Joseph Haggan, director of the Department of Correction's Parole and Community Services Division. The division has specialized units for specific populations, including the youth, sex offender and fugitive units.

"They have to walk the balance between successful offender re-entry and public safety," Haggan said.

On Friday, the DOC held its annual Fall Parole Awards and recognition day at Camp Niantic, recognizing staff members who have excelled at helping offenders get back on their feet and keeping the public safe. The division has about 140 employees, 115 of whom are parole officers. Their caseload has grown by 1,000 offenders in the past year, in part a result of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's Second Chance Society Initiative that aims to keep more offenders out of prison while they undergo rehabilitation. 

Correction Commissioner Scott Semple, who was on hand to present awards and socialize with staff, said the department is handling the growing caseload while creating a "pathway" that will enable correction officers who work inside state prisons to become parole officers who supervise offenders on the outside. 

The division staff is diverse, according to Haggan, who said many of the parole officers came from nonprofit organizations where they often worked with the same population.

That's the case with Parole Officer Scott  M. Farrey, who was among those recognized Friday. He works out of the division's Norwich office in the Women's Re-entry Unit. Prior to his employment with the DOC, he was a case manager for Fellowship House in Groton, which is a halfway house, and also worked for The Connection, which provides behavioral health services.

Farrey, one of the first male parole officers to have a female caseload, is a positive role model in the lives of the women he supervises, Haggan said. Newly formed in 2012 to address the needs of women released from the Janet S. York Correctional Institution, members of the Women's Re-entry Unit are trained in being responsive to the specific needs of women, many of whom have suffered traumatic events. Male staff, accustomed to working with the larger population of male offenders, were hesitant to join the unit.

"He's a go-to guy," Haggan said. "He gets the job done and goes above and beyond."

The agency also took time Friday to recognize the Connecticut State Police, who work with them to supervise sex offenders. Also called out at the event were parole employees who had worked to celebrate the diversity of the department and those who underwent life-changing events.

Bridgeport parole Officer Stephanié Ortiz, who donated a kidney to her goddaughter Shavonna Dunlap earlier this year, was surprised when her mother and other family members showed up at Camp Niantic to watch as her co-workers celebrated her compassionate act. Dunlap's condition was deteriorating when Ortiz learned this year that she was a perfect match. Ortiz had to get herself healthy, then surgery became a dire necessity and she was informed in February that it would take place in two weeks.

The parole division supported Ortiz, 46, an employee of 11 years, as she underwent the surgery in March. Shedding grateful tears and basking from the recognition by her friends and co-workers, Ortiz said that she and Dunlap, 26, are both recovering nicely.

"I didn't hesitate," she said of the huge decision to undergo major surgery. "I had my wedding in a couple months, and it just didn't seem important."

Happy tears turned to sorrowful sniffling as the division recognized the service of Stephen McCarthy O'Connor, a parole supervisor in Waterbury who died of cancer in July. He was 46 and married with two daughters. He was well-liked, and his parolees continue to ask about him, according to his co-workers.

Commissioner Semple, who didn't have a background in parole supervision, said O'Connor — a giant of a man known as "Okie" to his friends — was his "secret agent" in learning about the division.

"He knew the business more than anyone I know," Semple said.

Semple told O'Connor's co-workers he knows they are grieving, and that's OK.

"Just keep up the good work, and represent Steve well," he said.

After the awards ceremony, the parole staff were treated to lunch that had been prepared by Department of Correction Lt. Noel Brown, who works at the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield and volunteers to cater various department events. Brown arrived early and set up two huge smokers outside the event hall, and by 1 p.m., the barbecue was ready.

k.florin@theday.com