The occasions when probation/parole officers have responsibility for organized crime figures are in conducting presentence investigations, probation supervision, and postrelease supervision. Offenders under postrelease supervision account for the greatest number of organized crime offenders under the SOU's jurisdiction. Although La Cosa Nostra (LCN), the Italian mob, has declined in influence in New York City, it still exercises significant power, especially in drug trafficking, commercial waste disposal, construction and small-time gambling. Mob influence has also been revealed in recent Wall Street fraud schemes and Internet pornography scams. The current study of the SOU involved observations of its work during June 2002. The research consisted of loosely structured taped interviews with each of the unit's officers. In addition, officers were informally observed throughout the week. The six guiding assumptions of supervising organized-crime offenders are as follows: supervision must be proactive; for such offenders crime is a lifestyle and a vocation, not an aberration; the driving force for their crimes is profit; they are poor or impossible prospects for rehabilitation; they are careful not to raise "red flags" that draw negative attention from the supervising officer; and officers should be prepared to work nights. Supervision strategies consist of aggressive enforcement of the requirement not to associate with known criminals, covert surveillance, the use of a field surveillance team, aggressive monitoring of employment, the use of informants and other officers, and communication with other agencies. 2 tables and 16 references