New director appointed for the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners announced the appointment of a new Director of the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections Thursday.

Darci Poland, former Chief Deputy Probation Officer for the State of Nebraska (District 4J (Omaha)), was appointed as the new Director of the Lancaster County Department of Community Corrections and is set to begin her new role April 3.

“I once heard someone say, ‘opportunities don’t happen, you create them,’” Poland said. “I believe this statement embodies how I feel about this appointment and the excitement I have about the prospects for individuals choosing to participate in any of the Community Corrections programs. I look forward to seeing the continued success, not only of our participants, but also of the staff within Lancaster County Community Corrections.”

Poland was born and raised in Manson, Iowa and earned her Master of Science in Public Administration from Bellevue University and her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Midland Lutheran College.

Poland has served as Chief Deputy Probation Officer for the State of Nebraska (District 4J (Omaha)), Protection and Safety Supervisor for the Office of Juvenile Services (Eastern Service Area), and an Adjunct Instructor for Oklahoma State University over the course of her 23-year career in public service.

Vice Chair Sean Flowerday said, “The County Board was extremely impressed with Darci’s wealth of experience collaborating with judges, attorneys, school officials, criminal justice professionals, and community providers to develop and implement interventions, services, and treatment for juveniles and their families.”

The Department of Community Corrections, founded in 2003, began as a small pretrial services agency and some of its goals were to design and administer alternatives to incarceration to help reduce jail population. Since then, the LCDC has grown into a large department that offers over a dozen different programs.