BEAVER ― As the newest district attorney for Beaver County settles into his position, Nathan Bible is facing many of the typical challenges of a new job.
Transitioning to an office nearly eight times larger than his previous law firm, Bible’s first two months have included finding a delicate balance between time management, learning the unique roles of everyone around the office and the personalities around that culture in the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office. As the young district attorney is introduced to several boards where he represents the county and catches up on the office’s progress on local issues, this packed schedule has created a fast-paced and busy environment.
While some may be intimidated by the colossal work expected of a new district attorney, the Bible said he is taking this learning experience in stride and enjoying every minute of the rush.
“I wake up every day still so excited,” Bible said. “I’m here late on a lot of nights, there is a lot of stuff to get myself familiarized with. It’s my first time being a prosecutor, but I couldn’t be happier with the start. I’m learning a lot, I’m filling in on all sorts of different types of proceedings. I want to be there, I want to be the backup for everybody, so if somebody’s in trial or somebody’s out sick, I can fill wherever I’m needed.”
Rather than seeing this learning experience as a “challenge,” the new district attorney sees this introductory period as the first stepping stone to several of the larger initiatives he wants to implement around the county. Changes can not occur overnight, but Bible hopes to start working on several initiatives he shared during his recent campaign and see positive changes in Beaver County’s legal system.
As the excitement continues to build for this work, Bible is hopeful that the adrenaline rush of the new job is something that doesn’t go away and continues to carry him through some of these upcoming challenges.
“The morale here is great, everybody is enjoying as much as they can being at work,” Bible said. “I’ve always really enjoyed what I’ve done as an attorney, so in this job it’s really transferred over. There’s no day that I wake up that I’m like, ‘Oh, God, I’ve got to go to work today.’ I’d like to bottle that up, if I could, and just keep it on the shelf for a few years down the road.”
Initiatives for office include introducing a ‘drug court’ and addressing rises in juvenile crime
One of the first criminal justice changes that Bible wants to see in Beaver County is the addition of a “Drug Court,” a judicial body that functions similarly to the county’s other specialized courts. This proposed system would operate similarly to the existing Veterans Treatment Court, a system that connects veterans entering the criminal justice system with resources such as outreach programs, mental health treatment and other methods used to reduce recidivism.
“It’s going to take some time and take a lot of moving parts,” Bible said. “My vision is that it’s going to parallel our veterans court, in terms of it’s not a quick program. I’m looking at 12 to 18 months to complete it. You’re going to do inpatient treatment, intense outpatient treatment. You’re going to get clean, there’s no way around it. You’re not just going to be clean for a little bit, you’re going to stay clean.”
Specializing in drug abuse treatment options, this proposed court would offer assistance to those who enter the criminal justice system get back to a sense of “normal.” While some drug abuse treatment options are offered at the Beaver County Jail, this new program would be tailored to address the specific needs of patients and offer assistance beyond preventing overdoses.
The court would most likely work hand-in-hand with the other specialized courts, such as those for families and veterans, to offer resources for reconnecting with families and getting tailored mental health services. Bible would also hope to connect those in these situations with ways to earn an income through careers in various trades, which can bring stability back into participants’ economic situations.
“It’s not going to help everybody,” Bible said. “I look at it as if you’re off drugs, you got your kids back, you’re working again, making decent money and you have all these good things going, hopefully, that’s a deterrent to not fall back into that lifestyle.”
Another focus in the criminal justice system will also be the rise of juvenile crime in Beaver County, a topic that has been affecting multiple communities around western Pennsylvania. Throughout 2023, there was an average of 14 car thefts or crashes per month that were committed by minors, but a lack of beds in detention facilities has led to a “revolving door” for these juvenile criminal offenders.
While solving the issue of potential punishments has become an issue across the state and may take heavier legislative efforts, the Bible is also proposing several ways to reach out to juveniles in Beaver County and encouraging the idea that there are consequences and alternative paths to crime. Rather than addressing the issue after these juveniles commit a crime, the district attorney’s office would focus on meeting with students who have issues at home or school to show other options.
One of these alternative options that the Bible stresses is showing students who struggle in school that some jobs and trades can pay well. While schools have always pushed for college education as a goal, Bible feels that there hasn’t been as large of a push to show students who struggle in academic settings that there are successful careers that involve more hands-on work experience.
“Society needs those jobs, and I think [it’s important] to show kids this completely other path,” Bible said. “There’s always been the big push that you have to go to college, so [we should be] showing them that there is another path if you don’t get great grades. When you’re 15 years old, going down this dark path, it just leads to eventually state prison.”
While the lack of space in juvenile detention facilities continues to be an issue, there has not been much movement in the discussions of implementing a facility like this in Beaver County. Bible said that the idea has not been talked about during his time in office so far, but he does hope to renew these efforts to find a solution and continue to explore regional options for juvenile detainment.
Several of the existing initiatives in Beaver County will continue to be a priority for the district attorney’s office as well, such as addressing policing shortages and continuing to address several local cold cases. While the position of district attorney has a lot of power over local policing, Bible says that he is placing trust in local chiefs and municipalities to address some of the needed changes to their departments and he will step in when it is needed.
One of these issues commonly discussed with Bible is the regionalization of local departments, which was done for the first time last year with the creation of the Beaver Valley Regional Police Department. The department has had many successes during its first year, with residents offering praise to the district attorney’s office for some of these changes. While Bible is open to helping other municipalities join the force or form their own regional forces, he says that local communities will be the ones who continue to decide whether that system is right for them.
“I know that it’s not my position to force this on anyone,” Bible said. “If any municipalities would come to me and say, ‘Hey, we’re interested in joining, can you help us facilitate this?’ I’m 100% on board. Until it becomes something that is absolutely necessary, I don’t feel that it’s really my position to get too involved with it. So you know, I support it where they want it, and I’m not going to force it on anybody that doesn’t so.”
As Bible settles into his new office, he hopes to continue addressing the issues people bring to his attention. While the rush of a new job may delay returning calls and emails, the new district attorney hopes that people are comfortable discussing their issues with him and that trust in Beaver County public officials can increase during his time in office.
“I want everybody to know that I’m here for them,” Bible said. “I want to be a district attorney that’s working for the people of this county.”
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Bible shares experience as new DA in Beaver County, goals for office
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