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Nominated: Brandon Watts / Texas - May 1, 2017

On Thursday April 27, 2017 @ 11:23 a.m. I contacted Brandon via e-mail regarding an offender who was wishing to transfer to Texas who had a release date of May 2, 2017. Our office has been in a state of transition due to the loss of a staff member. As s result demands have been higher on existing staff. The offender’s case was inadvertently overlooked until April 27th when it was discovered that the TREQ had not been completed as thought. As such I reached out to Brandon who in the past has been absolutely fantastic to work with regarding cases. On this date I made a request to Brandon based upon our oversight to assist us in getting this offender to Texas without delay which would have caused his release to be in Ohio and homeless with no funds other than $75 in his hand. This would have been a set-up for failure and posed an undue hardship upon the offender through no fault of his own. Brandon immediately went into action and began making the appropriate contacts on his end to get the RFRI’s expedited and the TREQ expedited. Brandon understood that the offender was not at fault for this. He realized that a release as homeless would not be conducive to a successful reentry for the offender. Brandon went above and beyond in helping to get this offender’s RFRI’s approved and his TREQ expedited and approved if it was in fact a viable plan. On 4/28/17, I received notification from Brandon that the offender’s RFRI’s were approved and that the TREQ had been expedited and that an approval was imminent from the Texas Field Officer.

To those who have had contact with Brandon realize that he is not just a name in the directory. He is a person who you may go to for assistance and he will take the needed steps to get you a response whether he is personally responsible for that case or not. Brandon demonstrates pride and professionalism in the way he responds and assists those with questions or concerns regarding a case that is either going to his state or coming from it. I personally know from my past interactions with Brandon that he keeps his eye on the global picture as it relates to Interstate Compact. He not only does what is right regarding the safety of his state’s citizens, but he also does what is right for the offenders in an effort to give them a chance at a successful reentry into the community. Brandon is highly deserving of the recognition as he does exemplify the “Spirit of the Compact” while remaining humble regarding his efforts.

Submitted by: Daniel S. Smith, CPM / Ohio