08/03/2026
P.D.P. IN FOCUS: Major Vincent Brooker
Deputy Warden, PICC
"Are you part of the problem or the solution?"
Major Vincent Brooker joined the PDP on October 25, 1993, as a Correctional Officer at the House of Correction. Now in his 33rd year of service, he holds the rank of Major, serving as Deputy Warden at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center (PICC).
Throughout his career, Brooker has helped shape many programs and traditions that remain part of the PDP today. He launched the Department's newspaper (now the Employee Newsletter) and organized the first sports tournaments between facilities during Correctional Employees Week. His work has also spearheaded recruitment efforts and strengthened community outreach, having a lasting impact both inside and outside PDP walls.
On April 24, 2026, Major Brooker received the Marian B. Tasco Leadership Award at the Philadelphia City Excellence Awards Gala. He was recognized as "a transformative leader dedicated to inspiring change from within" for mentoring newly hired Correctional Officers, and leading Real Talk, a dialogue program that encourages accountability, responsibility, and conflict resolution among incarcerated men. Because many of Real Talk’s participants still have influence on the streets, helping them end conflicts peacefully can in turn help to reduce violence in Philadelphia communities.
"Major Brooker has the passion, integrity, empathy, and thoughtfulness of a leader who shines brightly in a room full of people," said PICC Warden Earicka Patterson. "He puts in the work while remaining positive, and he makes things happen."
Major Brooker's approach to leadership is rooted in a simple question: "Are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution?" His answer has remained the same throughout his career: "I choose to be part of the solution."
