Local

5 Pa. jail employees suspended without pay

PITTSBURGH — Five employees of a western Pennsylvania jail have been suspended without pay, but a county spokeswoman has declined to say whether the action is related to an incident in which an employee violated jail policy by bringing a handgun into the facility.

Allegheny County spokeswoman Annie Downs said a jail employee reported that she had entered the jail with her personal handgun May 1. All contraband items including handguns are prohibited in the jail.

Downs said employees are subject to a strict security protocol while entering the jail, but that wasn't followed and the handgun wasn't discovered.   She declined to say whether the gun was loaded, whether there was a delay in reporting the incident or what reason the employee had for bringing the weapon into the jail.