(A)(1)(a) The court of common pleas may establish a county department of probation. The establishment of the department shall be entered upon the journal of the court, and the clerk of the court of common pleas shall certify a copy of the journal entry establishing the department to each elective officer and board of the county. The department shall consist of a chief probation officer and the number of other probation officers and employees, clerks, and stenographers that is fixed from time to time by the court. The court shall appoint those individuals, fix their salaries, and supervise their work.

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(b) When appointing a chief probation officer, the court shall do all of the following:

(i) Publicly advertise the position on the court’s web site, including, but not limited to, the job description, qualifications for the position, and the application requirements;

(ii) Conduct a competitive hiring process that adheres to state and federal equal employment opportunity laws;

(iii) Review applicants who meet the posted qualifications and comply with the application requirements.

(c) The court shall not appoint as a probation officer any person who does not possess the training, experience, and other qualifications prescribed by the adult parole authority created by section 5149.02 of the Revised Code or the department of youth services, as applicable. Probation officers have all the powers of regular police officers and shall perform any duties that are designated by the judge or judges of the court. All positions within the department of probation, except positions held by probation officers in the juvenile division of a court of common pleas, shall be in the classified service of the civil service of the county.

(2) If two or more counties desire to jointly establish a probation department for those counties, the judges of the courts of common pleas of those counties may establish a probation department for those counties. If a probation department is established pursuant to division (A)(2) of this section to serve more than one county, the judges of the courts of common pleas that established the department shall designate the county treasurer of one of the counties served by the department as the treasurer to whom probation fees paid under section 2951.021 of the Revised Code are to be appropriated and transferred under division (A)(2) of section 321.44 of the Revised Code for deposit into the multicounty probation services fund established under division (B) of section 321.44 of the Revised Code.

The cost of the administration and operation of a probation department established for two or more counties shall be prorated to the respective counties on the basis of population.

(3) Probation officers shall receive, in addition to their respective salaries, their necessary and reasonable travel and other expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Their salaries and expenses shall be paid monthly from the county treasury in the manner provided for the payment of the compensation of other appointees of the court.

(4) Adult probation officers shall be trained in accordance with a set of minimum standards that are established by the adult parole authority of the department of rehabilitation and correction. Probation officers in the juvenile division of a court of common pleas shall be trained in accordance with a set of minimum standards that are established by the department of youth services.

(B)(1)(a) In lieu of establishing a county department of probation under division (A) of this section and in lieu of entering into an agreement with the adult parole authority as described in division (B) of section 2301.32 of the Revised Code, the court of common pleas may request the board of county commissioners to contract with, and upon that request the board may contract with, any nonprofit, public or private agency, association, or organization for the provision of probation services and supervisory services for persons placed under community control sanctions. The contract shall specify that each individual providing the probation services and supervisory services shall possess the training, experience, and other qualifications prescribed by the adult parole authority or the department of youth services, as applicable. The individuals who provide the probation services and supervisory services shall not be included in the classified or unclassified civil service of the county.

(b) A court of common pleas that has established a county probation department or has entered into an agreement with the adult parole authority as described in division (A) or (B) of section 2301.32 of the Revised Code may request the board of county commissioners to contract with, and upon that request the board may contract with, any nonprofit, public or private agency, association, or organization for the provision of probation services and supervisory services, including the preparation of presentence investigation reports to supplement the probation services and supervisory services provided by the county probation department or adult parole authority, as applicable. The contract shall specify that each individual providing the probation services and supervisory services shall possess the training, experience, and other qualifications prescribed by the adult parole authority. The individuals who provide the probation services and supervisory services shall not be included in the classified or unclassified civil service of the county. A nonprofit, public or private agency, association, or organization providing probation services or supervisory services under this division is hereby designated a criminal justice agency in the provision of those services, and as such is authorized by this state to apply for access to the computerized databases administered by the national crime information center or the law enforcement automated data system in Ohio and to other computerized databases administered for the purpose of making criminal justice information accessible to state criminal justice agencies.

(2)(a) In lieu of establishing a county department of probation under division (A) of this section and in lieu of entering into an agreement with the adult parole authority as described in division (B) of section 2301.32 of the Revised Code, the courts of common pleas of two or more adjoining counties jointly may request the boards of county commissioners of those counties to contract with, and upon that request the boards of county commissioners of two or more adjoining counties jointly may contract with, any nonprofit, public or private agency, association, or organization for the provision of probation services and supervisory services for persons placed under community control sanctions for those counties. The contract shall specify that each individual providing the probation services and supervisory services shall possess the training, experience, and other qualifications prescribed by the adult parole authority or the department of youth services, as applicable. The individuals who provide the probation services and supervisory services shall not be included in the classified or unclassified civil service of any of those counties.

(b) The courts of common pleas of two or more adjoining counties that have jointly established a probation department for those counties or have entered into an agreement with the adult parole authority as described in division (A) or (B) of section 2301.32 of the Revised Code may jointly request the board of county commissioners of each county to contract with, and upon that request the board may contract with, any nonprofit, public or private agency, association, or organization for the provision of probation services and supervisory services, including the preparation of presentence investigation reports to supplement the probation services and supervisory services provided by the probation department or adult parole authority, as applicable. The contract shall specify that each individual providing the probation services and supervisory services shall possess the training, experience, and other qualifications prescribed by the adult parole authority. The individuals who provide the probation services and supervisory services shall not be included in the classified or unclassified civil service of the county. A nonprofit, public or private agency, association, or organization providing probation services or supervisory services under this division is hereby designated a criminal justice agency in the provision of those services, and as such is authorized by this state to apply for access to the computerized databases administered by the national crime information center or the law enforcement automated data system in Ohio and to other computerized databases administered for the purpose of making criminal justice information accessible to state criminal justice agencies.

(C) The chief probation officer may grant permission to a probation officer to carry firearms when required in the discharge of official duties if the probation officer has successfully completed a basic firearm training program that is approved by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission. A probation officer who has been granted permission to carry a firearm in the discharge of official duties, annually shall successfully complete a firearms requalification program in accordance with section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(D) As used in this section and sections 2301.28 to 2301.32 of the Revised Code, “community control sanction” has the same meaning as in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.