County prison gets change in warden today
There is a change in leadership today at the Butler County Prison.
After 26 years of working at the prison, Rick Shaffer retires as warden. His replacement is Joe DeMore, the former deputy warden of operations at the Allegheny County Jail
Shaffer, who has been the warden since 2011, was first hired as a corrections officer in 1989.
He became warden after Rich Gigliotti retired.
A major highlight of Shaffer’s career was the new prison, which opened in 2009 on South Washington Street.
He said the former prison, built in the 1950s on Vogely Street was outdated and overcrowded. Because there was not enough space, Shaffer said that many inmates were kept in jails and prisons in other counties.
“We needed a new one for a long time,” he said.
Now Shaffer, 54, of Cranberry Township said, “I feel I’m leaving the prison in capable hands.”
The county in March hired DeMore to be the new warden. His salary is $93,000 per year. Since the end of April, he has been at the prison training with Shaffer.
“Rick has been ... awesome. Showing me the way,” DeMore, 38, of Shaler Township said.
DeMore earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Slippery Rock University, and he is a 1995 graduate of Shaler High School.
The prison has 127 employees and 375 to 400 inmates. Its budget for 2015 is $11.4 million.
