The Lancaster Community Safety Coalition's efforts to screen its camera-monitoring staff appear largely successful.
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The records of most staff members background-checked by this newspaper show only minor blemishes, such as parking tickets.
But there is one exception.
Junell R. Wright, a monitoring staff member until this past week, has a background in security work &tstr; and a history of legal trouble.
Wright was terminated from her position after this newspaper asked coalition executive director Joseph R. Morales Sr. about her background.
Wright, 30, a Lancaster city native whose current address is unknown, joined the monitoring staff in May.
Since 2001, she has been charged with impersonating a public servant and twice with harassment. In June, Wright was cited for using unauthorized emergency lights on her vehicle.
In 2001 and 2002, East Lampeter Township Police charged Wright with two counts of harassment.
A Leola man accused Wright of waiting for and following him on his way home from work, sending "annoying" e-mails and other methods of harassment.
Wright was convicted of both charges, and paid fines and court costs totaling $623.
She later appealed the decision. The charges were dismissed in 2003, when her accuser did not appear in court.
• In 2004, Manor Township Police charged Wright with impersonating a public servant and disorderly conduct.
Two police officers and a tow-truck driver reported that Wright repeatedly identified herself as a constable, in an effort to prevent a friend's car from being towed.
Wright pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid $357.65 in fines and costs. The impersonation charge was dropped.
• On June 11, Manheim Township Police cited Wright in the 2600 block of Lititz Pike for driving with unauthorized blue emergency lights on the roof of her car.
The officer noted that Wright is no longer a volunteer firefighter, and she ignored a previous police order to remove the flashing, revolving lights.
Wright pleaded not guilty to the charge. A summary trial is scheduled for Sept. 2.
Wright's disorderly conduct conviction appeared on a Pennsylvania State Police criminal background check requested by this newspaper.
The other charges were found during an online search of court records open to any member of the public.
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, the newspaper contacted Morales with the information about Wright.
In a statement released Thursday, Morales said the coalition had been unaware of Wright's background. She worked limited hours, he said, as a trainee and always under direct supervision.
Wright was terminated Aug. 11, Morales said, as required by coalition policy.
In a prepared statement, Morales said it is the coalition's practice to submit all employees to a pre-employment drug screening and state-level criminal background check.
He did not explain how Wright's background had not come to light during the coalition's pre-employment checks.
"Even though no one was harmed and no confidential information was compromised, this incident reflects poorly on the organization and the dedicated employees whose records of professionalism have earned the public's trust," Morales said.
He promised that the coalition would take "immediate action to ensure that this will never happen again."
Specifically, Morales said:
nThe prehiring process is being re-evaluated and will now include FBI background checks for all new hires.
• A personnel committee of the coalition's board is evaluating additional hiring safeguards.
According to her profile on Facebook, an online social-networking site, Wright graduated from McCaskey and the Thompson Institute, with a degree in private investigation.
She has worked as an investigator and security guard, the profile says.
Until recently, Wright lived on Coral Street. She did not respond to repeated messages left on her cell phone and with a family member, seeking comment for this story.
Staff writer Jack Brubaker contributed to this story.
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