2010 Membership Application
2009 Election Report

January 29, 2010


Dear CAPS Members and Colleagues;

As we welcome in a new year I would like to provide you with some exciting news about our association's upcoming activities, conference schedule and membership drive for 2010.

In addition to our annual statewide conference, I am pleased to announce that CAPS will be hosting the 2010 National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA) Conference in San Diego this coming September. Accordingly, we have scheduled our annual CAPS Conference at an earlier date this year in the hope that our members will be able to attend both training conferences. This represents a huge undertaking and commitment from your Board of Directors and will require the full support and participation of our membership.

  • 2010 Membership Drive
    It's time once again to renew your membership in CAPS or consider joining for the first time. Your membership is extremely important to CAPS. Your association needs your membership to support its activities on behalf of the members and our profession. The annual membership rate is $30 and entitles you to all of our mailings; reduced conference registration fees; and the opportunity to join the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA) at the Affiliate level rate of $20. This represents a significant reduction as membership rates for NAPSA are $50 for line staff and $75 for managers and administrators. This will also entitle you to register for the NAPSA Conference at a significantly reduced rate.

    On behalf of the Board of Directors I strongly encourage you to support your association with your membership. In addition to providing financial support for our annual training conference and other activities, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are contributing to the only professional association designed exclusively to meet the needs of pretrial services professionals in California. This is particularly important as many of our programs are facing a difficult budget situation and may be in need of a strong advocacy. During these times of economic hardship and funding curtailments, it has never been more important to belong to an organization that diligently works to support and promote pretrial services throughout the State of California.


  • 2010 CAPS Training Conference
    The 24th annual CAPS Training Conference will be held March 18-20, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Redondo Beach, California. The hotel is located in the King Harbor Marina near numerous restaurants and entertainment venues, and only minutes from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

    The Board has been working diligently to ensure a great training curriculum and networking experience for all conference attendees. We will begin the training conference on Thursday evening, March 18th, with a keynote address from Cherise Burdeen, the Chief Operating Officer of the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) in Washington, DC. The workshops will run all day on Friday, March 19th, and a half-day on Saturday, March 20th.


  • CAPS Conference Scholarships
    As in the past, two (2) conference scholarships will be available for CAPS members. The scholarships include conference registration and one night's lodging at the hotel. There will be one scholarship awarded for a member from Southern California and another for a member from the North. Applicants must submit a letter to their Regional Director indicating the reason they would like to be considered and how they would benefit from attendance at the conference. Applications should also include information about the member's position, title and length of time with their pretrial services agency. The deadline for submission of the scholarship applications is February 26, 2010.

    SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO:

    CAPS Northern Regional Director
    Carl McGrew
    Santa Clara County Office of Pretrial Services
    70 West Hedding St, West Wing 1st floor
    San Jose, CA. 95110
    carl.mcgrew@pts.sccgov.org


    CAPS Southern Regional Director I
    David Bell
    250 E. Main St.
    El Cajon, CA 92020
    David.Bell@sdcourt.ca.gov


  • 2010 NAPSA Conference
    As previously mentioned, CAPS will be hosting NAPSA's 38th Annual Training & Conference Institute in San Diego, California on September 26-29, 2010. The conference site is the Westin Hotel located in the heart of beautiful downtown San Diego. This landmark hotel is within walking distance of the Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village, Little Italy, and a variety of shopping options.

    For the past several months, the CAPS Board of Directors has been actively engaged in ongoing planning sessions with the NAPSA conference committee to ensure that this year's conference will be the best ever. Having the national conference in San Diego presents a unique training opportunity for CAPS members without the expense of traveling out of state. Further details will be provided to the membership as plans are finalized and additional information becomes available. In the meantime please visit our recently enhanced and improved website at www.pretrialservicesca.org and the conference section of the NAPSA website at www.napsa.org.
As outlined above, this year promises to be both an exciting and challenging one for our association. Without your participation and support none of this would be possible. Your membership ensures that your voice will be heard and your input solicited and valued. We have set an ambitious goal of recruiting 145 statewide members this year. This can only be achieved with your participation and assistance. Please join. Thank you.

Sincerely,



Frank McCormick
President