Allegheny County Jail Warden Orlando Harper announces retirement
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Allegheny County Jail Warden Orlando Harper is retiring next month after 11 years as the jail’s top official, the county announced Tuesday.
“I have been honored to serve in this role for over a decade and am announcing my retirement with mixed feelings,” Harper said in a statement.
“When I first accepted this position in 2012, my intent was to remain here through the end of this administration. While that’s just a few months away, circumstances have changed with my family and, because of that, I’ve moved that end date up.”
Harper’s last day will be Sept. 29.
As Harper announced his retirement, the county said in a news release that it would work with President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark to identify a search firm to begin seeking a replacement.
The county said the last search took “well over a year,” and it was launching the search for a new warden now to give the next county executive “a head start in the search process.”
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald declined to comment on Harper’s retirement or the process to hire a new warden.
Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, who sits on the Jail Oversight Board, said she felt “there is no reason why the current administration — which is solely and directly responsible for the chaos and crisis of death and destruction that is the Allegheny County Jail — should be at all involved in any hiring process for the new permanent warden.”
Both candidates vying to become the next county executive said they planned to prioritize improving operations at the county jail.
“I have been clear throughout my campaign for Allegheny County Executive that we need new leadership at the Allegheny County Jail,” Democratic candidate and former Pennsylvania Rep. Sara Innamorato said. “We need a transparent, national search for a new warden where all stakeholders — including family members of incarcerated individuals, formerly incarcerated people, the workers at the jail, criminal justice reform advocates and community members — have a voice in who ultimately holds this position.”
Republican candidate Joe Rockey said “getting the jail in order” would be a top priority in his public safety strategy if elected as county executive.
“It’s essential that we have the right people involved in both the search for a successor to Warden Harper and in setting jail policy going forward,” he said. “This is the opportunity to get the right leadership to fix the broken jail.”
Hallam, who has been a vocal critic of Harper and operations at the jail, said she felt the news of Harper’s departure “is long overdue.”
“Warden Harper has seen and caused more harm to our neighbors in the Allegheny County Jail and to our community as a whole outside the jail than I could ever hope to summarize here,” Hallam said.
Harper’s tenure has seen multiple controversies, including a controversial proposal to offer militaristic training for corrections officers at the jail. That was stopped after criticism from the public and Jail Oversight Board. Experts have said mental health care at the facility is “grossly inadequate” and critics have accused the jail of circumventing bans on the use of solitary confinement and non-lethal weapons.
Kyna James, coalition organizer for Alliance for Police Accountability, said the organization has “been fighting for years to get Warden Harper fired.”
“His departure is long overdue, and it has taken 20 people losing their lives for this to happen,” James said, adding that the group believes he “should not be able to leave with a pension.”
The organization called for a transparent process to hire a new warden in Harper’s place.
“I have always preferred to let actions speak louder that words — sometimes to my detriment,” Harper said. “Regardless of the public narrative about the jail, I’ve seen firsthand the great work done here every day. This dedicated staff has saved and improved countless lives. I’m proud of the work that they’ve done, and the progress we’ve made together, and thank them for their dedication and commitment to the people we serve each day.”
In its news release, the county credited the warden for “many achievements and improvements” at the jail during his tenure. The jail is one of three county jails in the state to be accredited by the American Correctional Association and has expanded its re-entry program to offer job training opportunities for incarcerated people, the county said.
The county touted the creation of the Discharge and Release Center in 2012, which aims to meet the needs people may have upon their release.
The county said the jail also has contracted with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care to evaluate the jail and make recommendations on measures that could reduce suicides; launched a pilot program in 2016 to provide incarcerated people with tablets; and created a special pod for juvenile offenders.