Director's Tenure Ends With Praise but No Reappointment

The head of the federal agency that oversees 15,000 people on parole and probation in the District is stepping down tomorrow after six years on the job.

Paul Quander, 53, has headed the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency since August 2002, but the Bush administration did not reappoint him to a second term. Temporary leadership of the agency will pass to his deputy, Adrienne Poteat, until a new director is named.

The agency was created in 1997 when the District, under pressure from Congress, agreed to transfer to the federal government authority to monitor its prisoners and probationers. Agency responsibilities include pre-release counseling, parolee supervision and drug treatment.

But Quander set a broader goal: to reduce crime among people on supervision and reconnect them with their families.

"I think the city is in a better spot," Quander said. "I'm proud of what we accomplished."

He said he was unsure why he was not reappointed. A White House spokeswoman praised Quander's service but declined to comment further on personnel decisions.

"Paul Quander has done a wonderful job in this position," Emily Lawrimore wrote in an e-mail. "The President appreciates his service and wishes him well."

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said through a spokesman that she "regrets" not being notified of the administration's decision, because the federal position deals exclusively with the District. The spokesman said Norton supported Quander for another term "because of his record and the need for continuity."

As director of the agency, which has a $135 million annual budget, Quander increased the amount of money targeted for drug treatment and recently instituted a program that allows D.C. police to more easily determine whether an offender wearing an ankle bracelet equipped with a Global Positioning System device has been in a crime vicinity. He also oversaw the opening of a 100-bed residential drug treatment program, developed a network of faith-based partners to mentor people released from prisons across the country and returning to the District, and reduced caseloads for probation officers.

Quander previously had been an assistant U.S. attorney in the District and deputy director of the D.C. Department of Corrections. Earlier he worked for Neighborhood Legal Services, representing indigent clients in small-claims trials and landlord and tenant cases. The D.C. native said he plans to retire but remain active in public safety issues in the city. He also said he expects to continue to stay below the radar.

"No one knows who I am," he said. "Parole and probation have not been in the paper for negative news, and that's a good thing."