Allegheny County's new jail warden said Thursday he'd like to keep programs that help reduce recidivism and he won't tolerate misconduct in the Uptown lockup.
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald hired Orlando Harper, a former deputy warden for operations in the Washington Department of Corrections, to fill a slot vacated when Ramon Rustin left in 2011 to take a job in New Mexico.
“Excessive force won't be tolerated by staff or inmates,” Harper, 47, said at his introductory news conference. “I will hold everybody accountable that uses excessive force. Anyone that does will be forwarded for disciplinary action.”
Harper said he looks forward to meeting and working with the jail's correctional officers. He'll start Oct. 15 and will make $98,345 annually.
He was one of three finalists recommended by a search committee of judges, law enforcement officers, attorneys and community leaders.
“He just really impressed, with his energy and his command of the issues,” Fitzgerald said. “It's a very challenging job — recidivism, working with the courts, the Public Defender's Office — and costs are a big issue at the jail.”
Harper served in the Army and worked his way up at the District of Columbia corrections department, beginning as a security officer in 1986.
A spokeswoman there confirmed his employment until Aug. 18.
Common Pleas President Judge Donna Jo McDaniel, who chaired the search committee, said members wanted someone with experience with jail re-entry programs as well as security.
“We were looking for someone with good administrative experience who has handled something the size of the Allegheny County Jail,” McDaniel said.
As warden, Harper will oversee a budget of $56.5 million, a staff of more than 480 and a fluctuating inmate population that averages around 2,550, county officials said. The Washington facility housed about 2,200 inmates, Harper said.
“First we want a safe and secure environment. Secondly, I do agree that re-entry (programs) are very important,” Harper said.
Chuck Mandarino, president of the Allegheny County Prison Employees Independent Union, said he hasn't met Harper but the union is willing to work with him to make sure the jail runs smoothly.
“There are so many issues in the jail — overcrowding, making sure programs are in place, overtime — but I think we can work it out,” Mandarino said. “Obviously, security is foremost. That's one issue we all have to be on the same page with.”
Harper starts as the jail recovers from problems that surfaced under Rustin, who was appointed by former County Executive Dan Onorato. Rustin won praise for helping the jail recover from sex, drug and illness scandals that preceded his tenure. But when he departed, one employee faced criminal charges of beating an inmate, a fired internal affairs chief was accused of corruption, and several lawsuits were pending against the jail.
Bobby Kerlik is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7886 or bkerlik@tribweb.com.
