Police and jail administrators are investigating how a newly hired corrections officer at the Allegheny County Jail allegedly got through security last month with a gun and why it was not reported to supervisors.
Bethany Hallam, a longtime Jail Oversight Board member, said the employee — who graduated from the county jail’s academy less than a week before the incident — appears to have mistakenly left the gun in her purse when she reported to work that day.
The employee has not been publicly named.
Hallam asked Warden Trevor Wingard about the incident during Thursday’s monthly board meeting.
His only response was: “That matter is under investigation.”
Late Thursday, Wingard told TribLive he could not comment on the details of what happened.
“I’m aware of what Ms. Hallam brought up tonight, and it’s being investigated by the Allegheny County Police,” he said. “I’m waiting for their report.”
In an interview after the meeting, Hallam told TribLive the woman graduated from the jail’s academy on Feb. 20, and the incident occurred on Feb. 25. Multiple people were suspended over the incident this week, Hallam said.
On Feb. 25, the new employee arrived at work and entered the jail through the employee entrance, which includes a metal detector and X-ray machine, Hallam said. She said she is unsure whether the woman was screened, but she entered the facility and made it into the jail when she realized she still had her gun in her purse.
The woman then returned to the employee entrance, explained what happened and was told to secure the gun in her car, which she did, before returning to work, Hallam said.
“It was definitely a mistake,” Hallam said. “The problem is one: it wasn’t discovered; and two: it wasn’t reported through the appropriate channels.”
Jail protocol, she continued, would be for that information to go up the chain of command.
“Everyone knows it happened,” Hallam said.
During the meeting, Hallam asked a question of the warden about the incident and publicly listed details about the officer that later proved to be incorrect.
Hallam said Friday the information was provided to her through preliminary reports from top jail officials.
A spokesman for the county police confirmed the investigation into the incident.
“We were requested to investigate an incident last week where an employee was able to make it through the initial layer of security — the initial screening process — with a firearm,” said county police spokesman Jim Madalinsky. “It is a criminal investigation.”
Madalinsky did not have a time frame for when charges could be filed, but said any charging decisions would be made in consultation with the district attorney’s office.
President Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente, who chairs the Jail Oversight Board, did not respond to a request for comment.
Common Pleas Judge Kelly Bigley, a member of the board, said the allegations are shocking.
Correction: This story has been updated to fix several errors. An Allegheny County Jail corrections officer who brought a gun into the facility was not suspended and did not have a criminal record barring her from owning a firearm. TribLive could not verify whether she has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.