The Harford County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a new civilian warden for its detention center, four months after Sheriff Jesse Bane left the position vacant for greater “efficiencies” amid an ongoing “restructuring” of the detention center responsibilities within the agency.
The available position was posted on the agency’s employment site Wednesday morning. The listed salary range for the position is $94,661 to $163,613, according to a fiscal year 2010 civilian pay scale posted on the Sheriff’s Office employment page.
In addition, a posting at the detention center for a deputy holding the rank of major will become a captain’s posting, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Monica Worrell said Tuesday night.
The job posting comes a week after detention center supervisor Maj. Michael Capasso announced his retirement following 25 years at the facility. Several days later, Col. Gregory Carlevaro, the agency’s chief deputy, was assigned to the facility as acting warden on a temporary basis.
“With the retirement of Major Michael Capasso, commander of the Harford County Detention Center, the sheriff announced his plans to begin a search for a warden,” Worrell said in an e-mail Wednesday afternoon. “His plans are to hire a person with an extensive background in corrections with experience in re-entry and mental health issues in a correctional setting.”
Bane himself was not immediately available for further comment.
The series of events began in mid-November with the retirement of Warden Elwood DeHaven, who had held the position since early 2007. At that time, Bane said the position of warden would remain vacant due to economic reasons and a desire to restructure the agency’s operations.
In answers to follow-up questions from The Dagger about Bane’s decision to leave the warden position vacant, Worrell said in November:
“A warden’s duties make him responsible for the administration of the Harford County Detention Center. Those duties and responsibilities are being transferred to the Assistant Warden aka the Major in charge of the Corrections Services Bureau. As stated earlier, Sheriff Bane is attempting to eliminate a layer of bureaucracy. Currently, the population of the HCDC is consistent with this time last year. Sheriff Bane stated that as the population of the HCDC increases, it may become necessary to reassess staffing levels and even consider the position of warden again. Right now, he believes there will be greater ‘efficiencies of operations’ with this restructure. In so doing, he is doing what any other leader of a major corporation would do if he sees a change in operations is needed.”
The warden serves at the pleasure of the sheriff, who has broad discretionary powers to organize the agency and its personnel to meet the needs of public safety.
Since Bane’s original announcement, two men incarcerated at the detention center have died. One died at the facility from medical complications due to drug use, while the other died at a local hospital a week after attempting suicide while in custody.
According to the job posting, the warden “administers and directs operations of the Detention Center” and is “responsible for maintaining a secure and orderly facility that meets or exceeds minimum requirements of [state] commission standards.” The warden is responsible for the well-being of inmates, and supervises all facility correctional officers and staff.
Minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in social or behavioral sciences, correctional administration, or a related field; six years experience in the criminal justice system or closely related work including four years in a managerial role, including grant writing experience; and completion of warden training as mandated by national requirements, according to the posting.
The Sheriff plans to hire someone with an extensive background in corrections. That is good news. Now lets see if Sheriff Bane actually hires such a person.
Sheriff Bane had two people on board who had extensive backgrounds in corrections, and for whatever reasons, managed to lose both of them in a short period of just four months.
I wish you success in your search Sheriff Bane.
And then in July the sheriff will let go the new warden due to costs again. Does Uncle Jesse really know what hes doing or does he need another night of the supervisors table in the ball room again for opinions.
“All in favor of a new warden say I”
Seriously, if there is anyone out there, supporter or non-supporter, who doesn’t think this man has extreme mental issues, then they are as unbalanced as he is. What is going on with him? Don’t you want your leaders to be decisive? This guy is floundering like the invertebrate that he is.
Major Mike Capasso if your reading this apply for the job. After Bane told everyone he was not going to do this now has Reversed his Course.
I have a question for Bane. Mike Capasso ran the jail up until his retirement. Why not use some common sense and give this job to Capasso? The men like him, and he can hit the ground running. He knows the operation and everything continues on without any bumps. Or, could there be a person who is a card carrying FOJ member who has been promised this job. Makes no sense to me to let Capasso go when he had to know this was coming up. I have to read Serpico, maybe this is how they did things. Just saying’……I would have to give you a vote of yes on that.
Second question for you Bane. I called and asked if you would consider hiring back some of us who were certified instructors in the Academy? The department paid for our training so why not hire us back to work on a as needed in a contractual basis. No benefits and only get paid when we teach. That was in 2006, did you forget or just use your great judgement and decide no? I guess it is better to take men off of the road to teach then hire us back and keep man power at full capacity. Just another great decision by Sheriff Bane. I did talk to you second in command about this and I am sure he talked to you. Now, will you respond to me or do I have to be running against you to get an answer?
Mark, most of the time I agree with you but I can’t on this one. In order to teach today’s policing in today’s increasingly technologically complex world you need people who are working in it. I personally don’t like when an instructor starts with “back in my day” or teaches lessons that aren’t applicable to today’s policing world.
I’m not saying that you would, and I know that some of the current training staff is still stuck in their 1980’s ways, but for the most part the road guys teaching bring current methods to the table.
If we did not have to keep our certifications up to date on new material I would agree. EVOC, Crash Reconstruction and other courses have to have continual training. If a retired deputy would like to continue being an instructor they would have to stay current on their training. I know what you are saying, I heard it in our Academy when I was a recruit. Back then I don’t think you had to do recertifications on what you taught.
A lack of MPCTC certified instructors is one problem the HCSO does not have and most of the ones who do the majority of the teaching are very good and very passionate about what they do. It can sometimes cause manpower issues when someone from patrol (or security at the DC) is at the academy teaching in service or the recruit academies, but I’d rather have someone instructing who has recent experience on the street or in the blocks than someone who hasn’t put on a uniform for a decade. No offense intended, but police work has changed dramatically since 2002 and unless you’ve legitimately stayed current on everything over the past 10 years you shouldn’t be an instructor.
I’ve sat through too many training classes at various agencies taught by guys who retired years ago and some of what they’ve said has been almost laughable and not in a good way. There are some retired LEO trainers who still teach and do a fantastic job, but they didn’t spend years away from law enforcement before they started teaching LEO’s.
Agreed, and when I called I stated that at the time (2006) I had been away too long. I could still teach EVOC. I suggested that the start hiring retired instructors who where still teaching and then they could stay up to date. Now, some things should be taught by others still active in Law Enforcement or Corrections. Officers survival is one of them. I have been gone for ten years and your right I would not be a good person to teach traffic stops or officers survival. I enjoyed teaching. It would have been nice to continue teaching. I took many of my traffic classes from retired law enforcement officers for radar, vascar, lidar, and accident reconstruction. They worked for IPTM. I am sure I can still teach the proper way to use a flashlight on traffic stops and domestic calls!
Man, ten years and you make me feel like a dinosaur.
What’s the point in downgrading the Major position at the Detention Center and creating a third Captain position? Are the Captains there overworked and unable to appropriately supervise their Divisions?
I would guess that their will be three Captains rather than two Captains and a Major under the new warden, the difference is 10-20k extra you would pay a Major.
Sheriff Bane says he has decided to seek a corrections professional to be the Warden for HCDC. I applaud him for that. However, in typical Jesse Bane fashion, the Sheriff has already decided how to best organize or reorganize the jail operation prior to hiring the corrections professional. Would it not make more sense to wait until you have hired your professional, let them get their feet on the ground, and then recommend to the Sheriff any changes in organizational structure? Guess not. Sounds like Sheriff Bane is going to hire a corrections professional and then tell them how to run the jail… professionally of course!
What does Jesse Bane have in common with former Leader Muanmmar Gaddafi? Both are eccentric leaders who have less power and loyalty then they actually have.
You are 100% correct Mark. The loyal few that Bane still has left are very very scared of Mark Eaton Right now. What they fail to realize is that they did this to themselves, The Deputies of the HCSO have had enough. If they worried less about the truth that Mark Eaton is stating and more about treating people fairly then they wouldnt be in this situation in the first place.
Marc and Truth not everyone is miserable. Some people were handed positions and they support the Sheriff in whatever he does. Any Ideas who?
This is an April Fools joke… Right?
I would ask those who are in doing Banes dirty work how they want to be treated should Gahler or another person win the next election? Do they want to have done to them what they are doing to others right now? I am not saying that is what Gahler would do this is just a question. Do they want to have to live everyday under the shadow of fear that they will be moved or transferred without notice. Harassed by supervisors. Have medical conditions which requires you to see a Specialist only to have the department send you to a Physicians Assistant and require you to return to work against the Specialists orders. I hear these stories and I wonder how in ten years this department went to this childish behavior? Supervisors were always there to help the new guys as they were coming along. Now it seems it is a competition to see who can write the most IA complaints or counseling forms. We use to have a saying when I was in K-9 ” it runs down lead”. This type of destruction comes from the top down. Now, I am not saying all supervisors at the Sheriff’s Office are doing this. There are still a lot of great supervisors and deputies who work hard everyday under these conditions. For those people who say what I put on here does not help things and only “adds gas to the fire”. Maybe you should stand up and makes some changes…..2014 is not that far away.
Thank you to my 29 brothers, to my 33 brothers I look forward to working with all of you in the future.
Bobby P it’s April 2nd. This is not a joke, HCSO is sinking like the Titanic.
Anyone trying to man the lifeboats? Hopefully the Deputies haven’t just decided to go down with the ship!