Probation officers in the Eastern District of Missouri recently were credited with taking steps that the district's U.S. attorney said may have prevented 50 murders.

The incident gives chilling emphasis to the fact that a significant percentage of the more than 110,000 people on supervised release in the federal probation system nationwide are considered violent, volatile, or both.

In the Eastern District of Missouri, a four-member Special Offender Supervision Team utilizes a variety of supervision strategies to monitor the conduct of violent offenders. The district, which encompasses St. Louis, ranks 22nd in total caseload among the 94 districts, but has more offenders on supervision for federal firearms convictions than more populous districts including New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago.

The team's strategies recently paid off when four assault-style rifles, four semi-automatic pistols and 20,373 rounds of ammunition (some armor piercing) were seized from the home of a federal offender on probation.

The man was on probation due to his conviction for a white-collar misdemeanor. He had no previous convictions or history of violence, but had received mental health treatment. Because of that treatment, the sentencing judge ordered that the offender not possess firearms or ammunition while on supervision. However, probation officers received a tip that the man, recently laid off from work, was storing ammunition and was bent on revenge.

Probation officers obtained the offender's permission to search his home and seized the armaments. U.S. Attorney Raymund Gruender, the chief federal prosecutor for the district, said the search and arrest "probably saved 50 people from being murdered."

After the offender was taken into custody, he received extensive treatment and his condition improved dramatically. He was released, his two-year term of probation extended to five years. Had he been revoked for one year, he would have been released to the community without further supervision or mandatory counselling. He continues on supervision, remains stable and is receiving counseling.

At a recent court hearing, the presiding judge acknowledged "the remarkable improvement in the defendant's appearance, hygiene, and demeanor since his last appearance in this court."