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An ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending and supplementing the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 205, entitled “Allegheny County Jail,” in order to clarify existing legal standards applying to transporting County Jail residents to off-site for medical treatment.
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Whereas, in 2021, the voters of Allegheny County approved an ordinance via referendum that established standards governing operations at the Allegheny County Jail; and
Whereas, this ordinance, inter alia, established a new §205-30 requiring that “[a] restraint chair, chemical agents or leg shackles may not be used on any person in the custody of the Allegheny County Jail,” within Chapter 205 of the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances; and
Whereas, under current practice, individuals incarcerated at the County Jail are currently transported to medical facilities for off-site medical treatment by County Jail employees (specifically corrections officers), but guarded during stays at such facilities by deputy County Sheriffs; and
Whereas, in testimony offered to Council’s Committee on Public Safety on June 25, 2025, the former Warden of the County Jail indicated that 10-12 corrections officers are used for medical transportation purposes each day, and that the cost for these medical transports in 2025 was approximately $1.12 million as of the hearing date; and
Whereas, in a June 25 statement to the Committee, the President Judge of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas (and chair of the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board) indicated that the Board had formed an Employee Welfare Committee to review working conditions in the County Jail, and that one of the recommendations of this group is for the County Sheriff to take custody of incarcerated individuals throughout their transportation and medical treatment; and
Whereas, both the President Judge and former Warden indicated that this measure would greatly aid in utilizing corrections ...
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