To Whom It May Concern:

The reason why I am contacting you is because ALLEGHENY COUNTY CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS have endured the COVID pandemic for two years.  We’ve endured multiple unpaid quarantines throughout this time which takes a financial toll on our families.  Other law enforcement agencies are covered under the PA Heart and Lung Act, but Officers at the jail missed the opportunity to participate when the Act was created.  Grandfathering us into the Act reduces the hardships on our Officers and their families.

Some Officers may not see the long term effects of COVID for years, even though we are all vaccinated.  We are still testing positive and are quarantined unpaid.  Newer Officers will have to work 30 years on average to retire, under a modified pension thst pays less while working longer.  Which I find unacceptable for what we endure daily.  We aren’t labeled as Law Enforcement even though we should be.  The ongoing threat and long term risks associated with COVID add to an already dismal outlook for our physical health and safety.  Our peers on the local, city, and state police forces and PA State Correction Officers already benefit from this coverage if quarantined for COVID, while we go unpaid.  I respectfully ask that Governor Tom Wolfe, Lt. Governor John Fetterman, and honorable Senate Leaders Ward and Costa fast track us into the PA Heart and Lung Act.

Below are some glaring facts regarding Correctional Officers:

·         3.5% of all assaults in prisons and jails are committed by inmates against staff. A CO's 58th birthday, on average, is their last. A CO will be seriously assaulted at least twice in a 20-year career. On average a CO will live only 18 months after retirement.

·         Correctional employees experience some of the highest rates of mental illness, sleep disorders and physical health issues of all U.S. workers.  We get zero focus from our agencies to deal with crisis until it’s too late.

·         Correctional officers face constant risk of being assaulted or maimed by inmates turning common objects into unconventional weapons. These materials include broken glass, locks, safety razors and toiletries. The greatest threat comes from objects sharpened to become weapons. Toothbrushes, for example, can be sharpened for stabbing, or reshaped to hold metal blades. Officers must remain constantly vigilant for such threats, which boosts their physical and mental stress.

·         Custodial environments seesaw between lengthy periods of boredom and isolation, as well as physical danger. To cope with these extremes, correctional officers will disassociate themselves emotionally from their surroundings. However, this mindset also leaves officers vulnerable to job burnout, according to an article posted on the corrections.com website. Officers focus on getting through shifts without incident, but no longer care about what they're doing. Eventually, the officer loses the ability to empathize with those around him, a phenomenon that's commonly labeled as "compassion fatigue."

·         Correctional officers suffer the second highest mortality rate of any occupation, according to statistics posted by the Maine Department of Public Safety. Due to the job's unrelenting physical and psychological stresses, the average correctional officer lives just 18 months after retirement. 

Thanks to Allegheny County Home Rule Ordinance 205, AlleghenyCorrectional Officers have reduced tools to defend themselves or others.

I hope after reading this you consider grandfathering Allegheny County Corrections Officers into the PA Heart and Lung Act.  Look out for the health and well being for these brave men and woman working at the Allegheny County Jail.

Warm regards,

Officer Brian Englert 

President, Allegheny County Prison Employees Independent Union