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Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Luzerne County Government Study Commission assesses creation of prison, public defender's boards
Apr. 30—Luzerne County's Government Study Commission recently reached a decision on the possible creation of a county jail oversight board and public defender advisory board. The commission is drafting a revised county home rule charter for voters to consider in the November general election. Initially, the commission considered a mandate for council to create both boards along with specifications on the board membership. After lengthy debate, the seven citizen commission members unanimously agreed to give council the option to create them as it sees fit through this added clause: "To promote the fair and equal administration of justice and to protect the county against potential litigation and liability, County Council may establish a County Jail Oversight Board and a Public Defender Advisory Board in accordance with state law." To ensure council seriously contemplates the matter, commission members said wording also will be added in a not-yet-completed transitional section setting a timeline for council to initiate a study of both. Prison board Before home rule took effect in 2012, decisions about prison staffing and operations were made by a prison board comprised of the three county commissioners, district attorney, county controller, sheriff and a judge or judicial representative. Under the current structure, the county manager oversees prison operations and selects a correctional services division head who must be confirmed by county council. Study commission member Stephen J. Urban expressed support for a prison board when County Manager Romilda Crocamo appeared before the commission in December. Urban, a prior county councilman, maintained that a prison board could "offer some advice" and possibly help reduce prison litigation. Crocamo told Urban that a prison board could appear to be a good thing in theory, but the facility had "become a political dumping ground" in the past. Crocamo said two county branches — correctional services and Children, Youth and Families — have more liability exposure due to the nature of their work, but the county has worked to implement positive changes, such as a medication-assisted treatment program for inmates suffering from opioid withdrawal upon arrival. Crocamo also retained Dauphin County-based Sweeney Corrections Consulting to examine prison operations and said this week a public report on its recommendations and findings will be released soon. The study commission initially considered requiring a board to oversee the county prison system operation and maintenance and ensure the health and safekeeping of inmates. It would have included seven to nine members, including at least three citizens appointed by the county manager subject to council confirmation. Public defender The commission's consideration of a public defender advisory board evolved from a suggestion by past county chief public defender Al Flora. The public defender's office must provide legal representation for qualifying indigent applicants. In a written communication earlier this year, Flora told the commission "the current organizational structure compromises the independence of" the public defender's office and threatens its "ability to provide competent and effective representation." Among other suggestions, Flora proposed creating a five-person "select committee" to hire and fire the chief public defender and oversee office operations. In this scenario, the county Court of Common Pleas president judge would appoint two members. Three other entities — the chief judge of the county's minor judiciary, the county bar association executive committee and county council — also would each appoint a member. Like the correctional services head, the current charter made the chief public defender one of eight division heads nominated by the county manager, with council majority confirmation required for a hiring to take effect. While the commission did not advance a select committee concept, it added a requirement for the manager to obtain council confirmation to remove the chief public defender. The commission's initial proposal to create a public defender advisory board would have established a panel of seven to nine members to assist the county manager in ensuring the office "receives the independence and support necessary to fulfill its mission." This panel would have included at least three citizens appointed by council. Commission debate When discussing both boards, study commission members raised questions about their powers and whether their creation was essential to improve operations. Based on the unknowns, the commission agreed council should be empowered to perform this analysis and act accordingly. Commission Chairman Ted Ritsick said Wednesday he expects the proposed charter will give council nine to 12 months — a time has not yet been approved — to initiate a study. "We agree this is important to consider, but it's something better viewed as a legislative function of council," Ritsick said. "The commission only has a very limited amount of time and cannot give this matter the due diligence it needs." Commission Vice Chairman Vito Malacari concurred, saying the recommendation will "force council's hand" to examine both boards and publicly report its determination. "It allows them as a legislative body to do the work of the people," he said. Malacari also expressed hesitancy to "tie the hands of council" by locking in a new structure for the public defender's office in the charter. He noted there is a movement pushing the state to address funding shortages and other issues encountered by public defender's offices that may impact future decisions. The commission will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for the remote attendance option posted under council's online meeting section (scroll down) at Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New ‘spoofing' scam: ‘We kind of declared a state of emergency at the bank'
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — It's easy enough for someone to say they're calling from a local bank branch. But in this case, caller ID showed the branch's phone number and identified the branch (supposedly the Wells Fargo along Carlisle Pike in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County). 'I answered it because it didn't come up 'scam,' said Cindy Rigg-Houck, who lives nearby. The caller said Rigg-Houck had applied for a credit card (she hadn't), and he needed to verify some personal information. When she expressed skepticism, he had answers, but ultimately, Rigg-Houck hung up and called the branch — at, as it happens, the same phone number that had shown up on her phone. A man at the branch 'was very kind, very polite' and confirmed no one at the branch had called her, said Rigg-Houck, who isn't a current Wells Fargo customer but had an account at the bank in the past. Rigg-Houck handled the situation perfectly, said a Wells Fargo spokesperson — a sentiment echoed by Rory Ritrievi, president and CEO of Dauphin County-based MidPenn Bank, which has received 13 similar reports from its own customers since late January. 'We started getting reports from our customers that people were calling them, supposedly from the bank, seeking information,' Ritrievi said. 'We don't publish our list of customers. I don't think any financial institution does. But if you think through the PPP loans' — pandemic-era, federally-backed loans — 'that list of borrowers and the banks that made those loans, that's very public.' So using a little technology to spoof the bank phone numbers, fraudsters are pulling off what is basically an old-fashioned con and fooling people into giving out sensitive information. 'So we kind of declared a state of emergency at the bank,' Ritrievi said. It's unclear whether the fraudster who targeted Rigg-Houck knew she had been a past customer of Wells Fargo. Regardless, don't be shy about being skeptical toward a caller and telling them you want to hang up and call your bank to verify whether someone there is really trying to reach you, Ritrievi said. 'If it's not legitimate, you know what they're going to do? They're going to try to talk you out of that,' Ritrievi said. 'So if they try to talk you out of that, you instantly know it's fraud. If they are legitimate, they're going to say, 'Yes, that's a great idea.'' The fraudster even called back hours later, after Rigg-Houck had confirmed no one at the real Wells Fargo was trying to reach her. In the background, her husband suggested calling the police. 'And then [the caller] cut the conversation short,' Rigg-Houck said. 'And that was the end of the conversation.' Wells Fargo provided these tips: Wait & validate: If you receive an unexpected text, email or phone call, do not respond or click any links. Verify the legitimacy of the communication. Verify recipient: Only send money to someone you know, trust and can confirm their identity. Once you approve sending the funds, the money leaves your account and is often unrecoverable. Set up alerts: Use account alerts and two-factor authentication and monitor your accounts frequently. Be vigilant: Anyone can experience a scam. When in doubt, stop and get help. Don't share personal information: Don't share your username, passwords, PIN numbers or access codes. Don't trust caller ID: Scammers can spoof legitimate phone numbers by altering caller ID. Don't be pressured: If someone asks you to make a payment using a gift card, cryptocurrency or a prepaid card, it's a clear sign of a scam. 'I think the best thing that we could tell all of our customers — and every bank customer in the country — is be concerned,' said Ritrievi of MidPenn Bank. 'Be on high alert. Be — if you want to call it 'paranoid,' be 'paranoid.'' 'It takes a partnership between the financial institution and the customer,' Ritrievi said. 'Both have to do their roles. And if both do their roles, these [scams] are never successful.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
