Maryland parole and probation agents are exposed to unacceptable workplace hazards that include the possibility of “being shot, punched, kicked, scratched, stabbed, strangled, bit and/or spit on, when interacting with parolees, probationers and individuals on mandatory release,” according to a state labor department citation recently issued to the corrections department.

The citation, issued late last month and recently reviewed by The Baltimore Banner, hits the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services’ Division of Parole and Probation with a “serious” violation: not providing a job or workplace “free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees.”

It references the May 2024 fatal stabbing of Agent Davis Martinez, which has led to leadership changes, a halting of home visits to parolees and the subsequent grilling of corrections officials by state lawmakers. But the citation also refers to other, unspecified assaults that “have resulted in injuries including sprains, contusions, lacerations, fractures and concussions.”

Union leaders for the parole and probation officers have repeatedly asked agency leaders for health and safety improvements. And a bill filed this session would allow for state inspectors to fine agencies for failing to uphold safety standards and hold public officials who knowingly falsify safety records personally accountable.

Gov. Wes Moore’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

The state’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and its Department of Labor did not immediately comment on the citation, but an entry on a federal labor violations database corroborated its authenticity. The state’s inspection was opened just days after Martinez’s death, according to a federal database.

In a statement, a public safety department spokesperson said the agency is committed to ensuring the safety of its employees — “We take workplace safety seriously and work diligently to address any concerns that arise.”

A labor department spokesperson confirmed the investigation and the resulting findings.

The citation requires the corrections department to take a number of steps to address hazards of workplace violence in its parole and probation division, including developing and implementing a workplace violence prevention program that includes “accountability elements” touching on the performance of management, hazard assessment and tracking data.

It also calls for physical changes to employee work stations that would prevent people from jumping over parole and probation division employees' desks and using items such as hole punchers and staplers as weapons.

Other recommended solutions include the real-time GPS tracking of parole and probation agents, the use of two-way radios and the establishment of trained responses to emergencies. The citation also instructs the parole and probation division to increase and maintain staffing levels to allow for home visits to be conducted by two agents instead of one.

The corrections department has been instructed to address the violations by March 3. There is no proposed monetary penalty.

On May 31, local authorities found Martinez dead in a registered sex offender’s Chevy Chase apartment. Martinez had not reported to work after a home visit with Emanuel Edward Sewell. Sewell has been charged in connection to Martinez’s death. Police radio chatter obtained by The Banner revealed that Martinez had reported Sewell as uncooperative.

Lawmakers first heard about the labor department’s findings from news reports just before a scheduled parole and probation division budget review hearing. Public Safety Secretary Carolyn Scruggs and two other officials from her agency fielded questions in front of the full House Appropriations Committee Friday.

Del. Malcolm Ruff of Baltimore called the report “extremely troubling” and the workplace dangers “unacceptable.”

Seeing the citation shed light on threats faced by agents, said Del. Jazz Lewis, who implored the agency to work swiftly. The Prince George’s County Democrat asked Scruggs and two deputy secretaries whether and how the agency will comply with the labor department’s workplace safety plans and be able to hold to the given deadline.

Scruggs deferred questions to Deputy Secretary Joseph W. Sedtal, who said he expected the labor department would be extending the timeline while they continue to have conversations with the union to remedy safety concerns.

Sedtal said, “We have a very great sense of urgency in ensuring that these policies are put in place.”

Scruggs declined to comment outside the committee room and deferred to her spokesperson, who said a formal response would be forthcoming.

Del. Jared Solomon, one of the sponsors of legislation to give the labor department more tools to crack down on workplace violations at state agencies, said lawmakers still have questions.

“This is about the safety of the employees. It’s also about public safety at large,” he said after the hearing. “These are the employees that keep folks on parole in check so that we have a safer public.”

He said he expects more hearings with Scruggs to track her agency’s follow through on the citation and other outstanding safety issues.

“We’re not done,” the Montgomery County Democrat said.

Rayneika Robinson, president of the parole and probation agents’ union, said she had known for some time about the investigation because she was among those interviewed by labor inspectors.

The findings brought mixed emotions for her and her colleagues. She and her colleagues, she said, were “sad” about the current situation, but also “happy that it’s not just us saying these things anymore.”

“Someone else has now said this is what you need to do to keep them safe.”

Baltimore Banner investigative reporter Justin Fenton contributed to this article.