Pa. parole board fires 3 in case tied to cop death

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - November 30, 2012 (WPVI) -- Three people were fired from the state Board of Probation and Parole for failing to supervise a convicted felon who authorities allege later killed a police officer, the agency said Friday.

The board also will change its procedures following an internal investigation of how workers handled the case of Rafael Jones, who was on probation last summer when he allegedly fatally shot a veteran member of the Philadelphia force.

"These employees were terminated due to violations of board procedures, the board's code of conduct, and shortcomings in the manner in which Jones was supervised," Chairman Michael Potteiger said in a statement.

Jones had been released from prison 10 days before he and an accomplice allegedly killed Officer Moses Walker Jr. during a street robbery. Walker had just finished an overnight shift Aug. 18 and was walking home in street clothes when he was attacked, police said.

Walker's family filed a federal lawsuit Nov. 13 blaming the parole board for his death. The lawsuit contends Jones should have been behind bars because he recently failed a probation office drug test. It also says Jones should have been under electronic monitoring.

Potteiger's statement on Friday did not address those allegations. However, he said the board is considering replacing electronic monitoring with GPS technology.

Potteiger also announced a procedural change that will ensure sentencing judges are aware when certain offenders have been denied parole and are approaching their maximum sentences.

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