LAKE TAHOE, CA - A 125-person county department, who some say is not appreciated enough, has earned some recognition.

El Dorado County supervisors proclaimed this week as "Probation Services, Juvenile Detention and Community Supervision Week."

Steve Maxwell, who was tapped as the next superintendent of the South Lake Tahoe Juvenile Treatment Center, tried to explain the reasoning behind it.

"In many ways probation is the unknown entity of the criminal justice system, and we think by getting the word out about our operation and what we do the public can gain insight and further support our operations," he said.

These are exciting times for a department charged with supervising and rehabilitating youth and adult criminals on probation, as well as executing court orders and performing other duties.

Starting next month the department will have three new officers - two assigned to the West Slope with the other in South Lake Tahoe - who each will oversee a maximum of 20 electronically-monitored low-risk offenders. By using radio frequency or Global Positioning System devices, offenders can continue to work and serve their sentence, which must be between 30 to 180 days, according to Greg Sly, assistant chief for the department.

Sly said the offenders, who will apply for the program, will pay $10 a day to the probation department to help offset the costs.

High-risk offenders, such as sexual offenders and those charged with domestic violence, will not be available to apply for the electronic-monitoring system.

The program will also help relieve jail crowding, Sly said.

Maxwell, an 18-year veteran with the department, is a deputy chief probation officer about a month into his new role of overseeing the juvenile treatment center. He spoke about the South Tahoe Challenge Program, which aims to stop the unlawful tendencies of juvenile delinquents.

The program, about a year old, has four phases in helping youths face their problems and alter their behaviors.

It's designed to last about six months and is characterized like a person climbing a mountain: the first phase is called base camp, followed by ascent, high camp and summit, where the youth has achieved the goals set forth and is eligible to be released into a 90-day care program.

So far, four teenagers have graduated the program. One has relapsed, Maxwell said.

But the four had checkered pasts. They included a 16-year-old female methamphetamine user with multiple dirty drug tests, a 17-year-old who was charged with assault and missed court dates and a 16-year-old female who habitually ran away from home and was charged with stealing a car, Maxwell said.

The program also helps save the county money by not sending the youths the ranches where similar programs occur, Maxwell said. The cost for each El Dorado County juvenile to be sent away to a ranch is $6,000 to $8,000 per month, Maxwell said.

"I think we're saving the community a lot of money," he said.

Supervisor Norma Santiago proposed the week be devoted to probation workers.

"They definitely deserve special recognition," she said.