Allegheny County Jail Warden Orlando Harper to retire in September
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Orlando Harper plans to retire after nearly 11 years as warden of the Allegheny County Jail and director of the Bureau of Corrections, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced on 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 news release. "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."
The Fitzgerald administration and President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark will work in tandem to identify a search firm that will be tasked with identifying candidates for the incoming county executive, per a county press release.
The warden cited a 12-year tenure of accomplishments, but given the high number of inmate deaths and turnover of corrections officers, critics say his departure is long overdue.
"Good riddance. I think this is long overdue," Jail Oversight Board member and Councilwoman Bethany Hallam said.
Running a jail is a tough job for anyone, but by any account, Harper's tenure has been an especially rocky one, continually knocking heads with Hallam over staffing concerns, lawsuits and inmate deaths. Since April 2020, there have been 20 inmate deaths in the jail — and Hallam lays that squarely at the feet of Harper.
"Absolutely. Who else's fault is it? There are tons of jails around the country that do not have a death rate even close to the Allegheny County Jail's," Hallam said.
While Hallam blames poor medical and mental health services at the jail, Harper noted in the news release only one of those deaths was the result of suicide, which he attributed to his implementation of suicide prevention training. And he noted other initiatives to give inmates training and learning opportunities while they are incarcerated, as well as connecting them with resources and help after their release.
"I have always preferred to let actions speak louder than words-sometimes to my detriment," said Harper. "Regardless of the public narrative about the jail, I've seen first-hand 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 that we've made together, and thank them for their dedication and commitment to the people we serve each day."
But after Hallam, Harper's chief critic has been the corrections officers union which has called him unresponsive to their concerns and blamed him for low morale and an exceptionally high turnover rate. The union says 70 percent of the new officers quit in 2021 and 60 percent left in 2022. And Hallam says it's time for a major change.
"We hope that the next county executive, whomever that may be, will start the process at the beginning of their term -- a process that's collaborative, that involves the voice of people who have been pushing for this exact resignation for so many years," Hallam said.
Harper's last day is scheduled for Sept. 29, 2023.
