Every day, probation and parole officers step into homes without knowing what’s waiting for them on the other side of the door. Benson resident Danyel Williams knew those officers needed a lifeline — so she built one.
As Chief of Communications for the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections, Williams created and now leads the first communications center in the nation dedicated solely to supporting probation and parole officers in the field. The center operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, rain or shine. Telecommunicators monitor officer status, conduct routine safety check-ins, track movements and coordinate immediate responses if officers call for assistance.
“These officers arrive at a home and walk inside not knowing if there is danger on the other side. Then the door closes behind them. There must be a mechanism in place to ensure officer safety,” Williams said. “On the institutions side, we provide communications support on high-risk transports for the most serious offenders in our custody. These officers conducting these transports appreciate having that radio backup in the event of an emergency.”
The innovative system has drawn national attention, with other states looking to North Carolina as a potential blueprint for how to protect their community corrections officers.
Williams’ ability to build a system like this was forged during her service in the U.S. Army. After leaving North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro and returning home uncertain about her future, she enlisted in the Army while her son was just 18 months old.
Serving in the Army Signal Corps as a 31-Foxtrot, or Network Switching Systems Operator and Maintainer, she helped establish secure communications across the globe, including tours in the Middle East and South Korea.
“The military gave me problem-solving skills that I can still apply in my professional life,” Williams said. “Discipline for sure, but also being able to work under pressure. Being able to adapt to change in this world is important.”
Her philosophy of leading from the front — never asking her staff to do something she wouldn’t do herself — has helped her build trust, morale and a culture of shared responsibility.
Williams said the work of adult corrections is high-stakes and mission-critical, yet often misunderstood or overlooked by the public.
“Adult corrections is public safety work, not punishment work,” she said. “It’s not just concrete walls and locked doors. It’s communications operating 24/7. It’s intelligently monitoring tens of thousands of calls. It’s officers responding to the most volatile situations imaginable. Probation officers are in the field trying to stabilize communities before things escalate. Corrections is not isolated from society. It is society. Corrections comes with an invisible stress. It is high risk, high liability and mission critical work but without the recognition bestowed upon other public safety entities.”
As a woman who has served in both military and public safety positions, Williams has navigated scrutiny and high expectations. She’s no stranger to the high stakes and pressure that can come along with leadership.
“When I built this communications center I was terrified,” she said. “Creating something from scratch has many challenges and as this is part of my professional legacy, I am very proud.”
Having faced and overcome that fear herself, Williams encourages others to do the same.
“My advice is to do it, even if you are afraid. Do it afraid,” she said. “Women make history and I would charge any young woman who is considering public service or military service to not be afraid to change her own life as she changes the world.”
