Nathan Harper: Difference between revisions

Chief
Nathan Harper
Chief Nathan Harper
Alma mater	Schenley High School
	Police career
Country	United States
Department	Pittsburgh Police
Service years	1977-2013
Status	Fired
Rank	2006-2013: Chief
Awards	Meritorious Service; Spirit of Life

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Nathan Harper is a convicted felon and former Chief of the Pittsburgh Police, a position he held from October 31, 2006, to February 20, 2013. Prior to this appointment he was the long-time "Assistant Chief in Charge" of the Investigations Branch. He is Pittsburgh's third African-American Chief of Police.

Education and early career

Harper graduated from Schenley High School and was a resident of Stanton Heights, he joined the police bureau in 1977. He served as a patrol officer, K-9 officer and plainclothes investigator before being promoted to administrative positions, the narcotics unit and investigations. In the 1990s Harper spearheaded the formation of the city's Street Response Unit and was previously a Sergeant in the city's Traffic Division.

Later career and resignation

In November 2012 a city systems analyst (Christine Kebr) and Alpha Outfitters are investigated for rigging a $337,000 police contract by bribing a public official, conspiracy and fraud, the city analyst later pleads guilty. Chief Harper at the time is determined by the mayor's office not to be connected to the crimes.^[1]

On February 12, 2013, and subsequent days, the FBI and IRS seized boxes of documents from police headquarters and the independent police credit union concerning thousands of deposits and withdrawals of tax payer money from unauthorized accounts, including internal misappropriations.^[2] At least one account dates back to 2004, prior to Chief Harper's tenure.^[3]^[4] Chief Harper was interviewed twice by federal agents concerning both the credit union accounts and contract awards case.^[5] Chief Harper was asked to resign due in part to the FBI and IRS investigations—and did so—on February 20, 2013.^[6]

Federal charges

On October 18, 2013, Harper pleaded guilty to five counts stemming from his leadership of the Police bureau at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh, one of conspiracy and four concerning tax reporting issues.^[7]^[8]

On February 25, 2014, Harper was sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to commit theft from a federally funded program, and failure to file tax returns. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon ordered Harper to pay restitution of $31,987 and to serve one year of probation following his release from prison.^[9] Harper received a Federal Bureau of Prisons notification that he was assigned to a minimum security satellite camp at the medium security Federal Correctional Institution, Pekin, south of Peoria, Illinois. He had been ordered to report to the federal penitentiary by April 1, 2014.^[10]

References

^ "Timeline of events that led to Nate Harper's resignation". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 21, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
^ Silver, Jonathan D.; Navratil, Liz (February 13, 2013). "FBI seizure of Pittsburgh police files linked to probe into use of funds". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
^ Navratil, Liz; Silver, Jonathan (February 19, 2013). "Ravenstahl: Controversial police accounts had hundreds of transactions". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
^ Silver, Jonathan D.; Navratil, Liz (February 15, 2013). "FBI, IRS investigate account connected to Pittsburgh police chief's office". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
^ Navratil, Liz (February 21, 2013). "Union official: Rank-and-file 'surprised' at Pittsburgh police Chief Harper's departure". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
^ Moriah Balingit, Rich Lord, Jon Silver, Liz Navratil and Lexi Belculfine (February 20, 2013). "Harper asked to resign as Pittsburgh police chief". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/former-pittsburgh-police-chief-nate-harper-pleads-guilty/-/10927008/22497270/-/fgmtap/-/index.html
^ Lord, Rich; Navratil, Liz (October 19, 2013). "Pittsburgh's ex-chief pleads guilty in federal court - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
^ "Former Pittsburgh chief Harper gets 18-month prison sentence - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 25, 2014.
^ "Former Pittsburgh police Chief Harper to report to prison by April 1 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 17, 2014.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American police chief}}
 {{For|the fictional character Nathan Harper|Abduction (2011 film)}}
+{{Cleanup bare URLs|date=August 2022}}
 {{Infobox police officer
+| honorific_prefix = [[Pittsburgh Police Chief|Chief]]
-|name         = Nathan Earnest Harper
-|image        =
+| name             = Nathan Harper
-|caption      =
+| image            = <!-- Image name -->
+| caption          = <!-- Caption for the image-->
-|birth_date   =
+| currentstatus    = Fired
-|birth_place  =
+| department       = [[Pittsburgh Police]]
-|nickname     =
+| birth_date       = <!-- Use {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} if still alive, or {{birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}} if deceased -->
-|badgenumber  =
+| death_date       = <!-- Use {{death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|yyyy|mm|dd}} (death date, then birth date) -->
-|department   = [[Pittsburgh Police]]
+| nickname         = <!-- Other names the officer is known for-->
-|serviceyears = 1977-2013 <br><small>(Pittsburgh Police)</small>
+| badgenumber      = <!-- Badge number-->
-|rank         = [[Image:1 Gold Star.svg|15px]] - [[Pittsburgh Police Chief|Chief]]<br><small> October 31, 2006-February 20, 2013</small>
+| shieldnumber      =  <!-- Shield number-->
-|awards       = Meritorious Service, <br>Spirit of Life
+| birth_place      = <!-- Where the officer was born-->
-|relations    =
+| death_place      = <!-- Where the officer died-->
-|laterwork    =
+| resting_place    = <!-- Location of grave, ashes, etc -->
+| resting_place_coordinates = <!-- Coordinates of grave, etc; {{Coord|LAT|LON|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} -->
+| religion         = <!-- Religion or Faith of the person -->
+| service          = United States
+| serviceyears     = {{start date|1977}}-{{end date|2013}}
+| rank             = {{start date|2006}}-{{end date|2013}}: [[Pittsburgh Police Chief|Chief]]
+| awards           = [[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service]]<br />Spirit of Life
+| almamater        = [[Schenley High School]]
+| laterwork        = <!-- Notable work after leaving the force -->
+| module           = <!-- embedded template -->
+| url              = <!-- Personal or official website; {{URL|example.com}} -->
 }}
-'''Nathan Earnest Harper''' is the former [[Pittsburgh Police Chief|Chief]] of the [[Pittsburgh Police]], a position he held from October 31, 2006, to February 20, 2013. Prior to this appointment he was the long-time "Assistant Chief in Charge" of the Investigations Branch. He is Pittsburgh's third [[African-American]] Chief of Police.
+'''Nathan Harper''' is a convicted felon and former [[Pittsburgh Police Chief|Chief]] of the [[Pittsburgh Police]], a position he held from October 31, 2006, to February 20, 2013. Prior to this appointment he was the long-time "Assistant Chief in Charge" of the Investigations Branch. He is Pittsburgh's third [[African-American]] Chief of Police.
 ==Education and early career==
-Harper graduated from Schenley High School and was a resident of Stanton Heights, he joined the police bureau in 1977. He served as a patrol officer, K-9 officer and plainclothes investigator before being promoted to administrative positions, the narcotics unit and investigations.  In the 1990s Harper spearheaded the formation of the city's Street Response Unit and was previously a Sergeant in the city's Traffic Division.
+Harper graduated from Schenley High School and was a resident of Stanton Heights, he joined the police bureau in 1977. He served as a patrol officer, [[Police dog|K-9]] officer and plainclothes investigator before being promoted to administrative positions, the narcotics unit and investigations.  In the 1990s Harper spearheaded the formation of the city's Street Response Unit and was previously a Sergeant in the city's Traffic Division.
 ==Later career and resignation==
 {{expand section|date=February 2013}}
-In November 2012 a city systems analyst and Alpha Outfitters are investigated for rigging a $337,000 police contract by bribing a public official, conspiracy and fraud, the city analyst later pleads guilty.  Chief Harper at the time is determined by the mayor's office to not be connected to the crimes.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/timeline-of-events-that-led-to-nate-harpers-resignation-676176/ |title=Timeline of events that led to Nate Harper's resignation |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 21, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>
+In November 2012 a city systems analyst (Christine Kebr) and Alpha Outfitters are investigated for rigging a $337,000 police contract by bribing a public official, conspiracy and fraud, the city analyst later pleads guilty.  Chief Harper at the time is determined by the mayor's office not to be connected to the crimes.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/timeline-of-events-that-led-to-nate-harpers-resignation-676176/ |title=Timeline of events that led to Nate Harper's resignation |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 21, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>
-On February 12, 2013 and subsequent days, the FBI and IRS seized boxes of documents from police headquarters and the independent police credit union concerning thousands of deposits and withdrawals of tax payer money from unauthorized accounts, including internal misappropriations.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Jonathan D. |last1=Silver |first2=Liz |last2=Navratil |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/fbi-seizes-pittsburgh-police-files-675125/ |title=FBI seizure of Pittsburgh police files linked to probe into use of funds |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 13, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>  At least one account dates back to 2004, prior to Chief Harper's tenure.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Liz |last1=Navratil |first2=Jonathan |last2=Silver |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/ravenstahl-controversial-police-accounts-had-hundreds-of-transactions-676002/ |title=Ravenstahl: Controversial police accounts had hundreds of transactions |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 19, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Jonathan D. |last1=Silver |first2=Liz |last2=Navratil |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/fbi-irs-investigate-account-connected-to-pittsburgh-police-chiefs-office-675523/ |title=FBI, IRS investigate account connected to Pittsburgh police chief's office |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 15, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>  Chief Harper was interviewed twice by federal agents concerning both the credit union accounts and contract awards case.<ref>{{cite news  |first=Liz |last=Navratil |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/politics-local/union-official-rank-and-file-surprised-at-pittsburgh-police-chief-harpers-departure-676341/ |title=Union official: Rank-and-file 'surprised' at Pittsburgh police Chief Harper's departure |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 21, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>  Chief Harper was asked to resign due in part to the FBI and IRS investigations--and did so--on February 20, 2013.<ref>{{cite news |author=Moriah Balingit, Rich Lord, Jon Silver, Liz Navratil and Lexi Belculfine |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/source-ravenstahl-to-fire-harper-676141/ |title=Harper asked to resign as Pittsburgh police chief
+On February 12, 2013, and subsequent days, the FBI and IRS seized boxes of documents from police headquarters and the independent police credit union concerning thousands of deposits and withdrawals of tax payer money from unauthorized accounts, including internal misappropriations.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Jonathan D. |last1=Silver |first2=Liz |last2=Navratil |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/fbi-seizes-pittsburgh-police-files-675125/ |title=FBI seizure of Pittsburgh police files linked to probe into use of funds |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 13, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>  At least one account dates back to 2004, prior to Chief Harper's tenure.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Liz |last1=Navratil |first2=Jonathan |last2=Silver |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/ravenstahl-controversial-police-accounts-had-hundreds-of-transactions-676002/ |title=Ravenstahl: Controversial police accounts had hundreds of transactions |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 19, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Jonathan D. |last1=Silver |first2=Liz |last2=Navratil |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/fbi-irs-investigate-account-connected-to-pittsburgh-police-chiefs-office-675523/ |title=FBI, IRS investigate account connected to Pittsburgh police chief's office |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 15, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>  Chief Harper was interviewed twice by federal agents concerning both the credit union accounts and contract awards case.<ref>{{cite news  |first=Liz |last=Navratil |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/politics-local/union-official-rank-and-file-surprised-at-pittsburgh-police-chief-harpers-departure-676341/ |title=Union official: Rank-and-file 'surprised' at Pittsburgh police Chief Harper's departure |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 21, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>  Chief Harper was asked to resign due in part to the FBI and IRS investigations—and did so—on February 20, 2013.<ref>{{cite news |author=Moriah Balingit, Rich Lord, Jon Silver, Liz Navratil and Lexi Belculfine |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/source-ravenstahl-to-fire-harper-676141/ |title=Harper asked to resign as Pittsburgh police chief
 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=February 20, 2013 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}</ref>
 ==Federal charges==
-On October 18, 2013 Harper pleaded guilty to five counts stemming from his leadership of the Police bureau at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh, one of conspiracy and four concerning tax reporting issues.<ref>http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/former-pittsburgh-police-chief-nate-harper-pleads-guilty/-/10927008/22497270/-/fgmtap/-/index.html</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/pittsburghs-ex-chief-pleads-guilty-in-federal-court-708156/ | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | first1=Rich | last1=Lord | first2=Liz | last2=Navratil | title=Pittsburgh's ex-chief pleads guilty in federal court - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=October 19, 2013}}</ref>
+On October 18, 2013, Harper pleaded guilty to five counts stemming from his leadership of the Police bureau at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh, one of conspiracy and four concerning tax reporting issues.<ref>http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/former-pittsburgh-police-chief-nate-harper-pleads-guilty/-/10927008/22497270/-/fgmtap/-/index.html</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/pittsburghs-ex-chief-pleads-guilty-in-federal-court-708156/ | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | first1=Rich | last1=Lord | first2=Liz | last2=Navratil | title=Pittsburgh's ex-chief pleads guilty in federal court - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=October 19, 2013}}</ref>
-On February 25, 2014 Harper was sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to commit theft from a federally funded program, and failure to file tax returns. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon ordered Harper to pay restitution of $31,987 and to serve one year of probation following his release from prison.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/02/25/Former-Pittsburgh-police-chief-Nathan-Harper-sentenced/stories/201402250123#ixzz2uNHUlrG9 | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | title=Former Pittsburgh chief Harper gets 18-month prison sentence - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=February 25, 2014}}</ref>
+On February 25, 2014, Harper was sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to commit theft from a federally funded program, and failure to file tax returns. U.S. District Judge [[Cathy Bissoon]] ordered Harper to pay restitution of $31,987 and to serve one year of probation following his release from prison.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/02/25/Former-Pittsburgh-police-chief-Nathan-Harper-sentenced/stories/201402250123#ixzz2uNHUlrG9 | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | title=Former Pittsburgh chief Harper gets 18-month prison sentence - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=February 25, 2014}}</ref> Harper received a Federal Bureau of Prisons notification that he was assigned to a minimum security satellite camp at the medium security [[Federal Correctional Institution, Pekin]], south of Peoria, Illinois.  He had been ordered to report to the federal penitentiary by April 1, 2014.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/03/17/Former-Pittsburgh-police-Chief-Harper-to-report-to-prison-by-April-1/stories/201403170143#ixzz2wiyIWptj | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | title=Former Pittsburgh police Chief Harper to report to prison by April 1 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=March 17, 2014}}</ref>
-Harper received a Federal Bureau of Prisons notification that he was assigned to a minimum security satellite camp at the medium security Federal Correctional Institution Pekin, south of Peoria.  He is has been ordered to report to the federal penitentiary in Illinois by April 1, 2014.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/03/17/Former-Pittsburgh-police-Chief-Harper-to-report-to-prison-by-April-1/stories/201403170143#ixzz2wiyIWptj | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | title=Former Pittsburgh police Chief Harper to report to prison by April 1 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=March 17, 2014}}</ref>
 ==See also==
-{{Portal|Pittsburgh|Biography|Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics}}
+{{Portal|Biography}}
 * [[Police chief]]
 * [[Allegheny County Sheriff]]
 * [[List of law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania]]
-{{-}}
+{{Clear}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 46: / Line 57: @@
 ==Further reading==
-{{more footnotes|date=February 2013}}
+{{more footnotes needed|date=February 2013}}
 *http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06299/733099-53.stm
 *http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06292/731229-53.stm
@@ Line 60: / Line 71: @@
 {{Pittsburgh Police Chiefs}}
 {{Pittsburgh}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Harper, Nathan
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American police chief
-| DATE OF BIRTH     =
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    =
-| DATE OF DEATH     =
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Nathan}}
-[[Category:American municipal police chiefs]]
+[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
-[[Category:American municipal police officers]]
+[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
-[[Category:African-American people]]
+[[Category:Chiefs of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police]]
-[[Category:Government of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]
 [[Category:Living people]]
+[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]
+[[Category:American people convicted of tax crimes]]
+[[Category:American police officers convicted of crimes]]
+[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government]]

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