COs take to Albany

ALBANY | Busloads of corrections officers and supporters headed to Albany Tuesday to demonstrate outside the state capitol, creating a peaceful and unified wall of blue that had lawmakers on the state and national front demanding change. The officers- thousands of whom still remain on strike- brought a visible message to Albany as they urged immediate action from the legislature and Governor's administration to restore peace and order inside the state's 42 facilities. Four bus loads of officers departed from North Country facilities, including Clinton, Upstate, Bare Hill, Franklin and Gouverneur, early Tuesday as fellow officers and supporters kept a visible presence outside those facilities. The resounding message was clear: Repeal the HALT Act, restore full staffing, permanently end 24-hour shifts and limit mandated overtime. The rally came just hours after another volatile shift at Coxsackie Correctional, where the rec yard reportedly turned to chaos by a fight between incarcerated individuals, requiring the use of chemical agents to restore order and leaving six officers treated at Albany Medical Center. Criticism is also mounting that officers previously out on active medical comp have been forced to return for shifts as their paperwork is reevaluated and processed. On Monday, as health insurance cancellations and the first termination notices were initiated, Gov. Kathy Hochul said her single-handedly overturning the HALT Act would go against the law. "To suggest that I'm going to stand here and unilaterally overturn a law that was passed by elected officials. I'm not pretending to be the king or the queen of this state, I will follow the law until the legislature — if they choose to make any changes," Hochul said. Earlier attempts to repeal the law- most recently led again by Sen. Dan Stec- have repeatedly failed in party-line votes by the Democratic majority. The strike- now entering a third week- has brought the dramatically rising levels of violence and system-wide staffing and policy shortages to the forefront, gaining momentum on the local, state and national level. As the demonstration was underway, Gov. Hochul said she sympathized with the staffing shortages and reiterated efforts to boost recruitment but said officers were in violation of the law by not returning to work, putting both fellow officers and the incarcerated populations at greater risk. Officers say the state is in violation of laws for forcing excessive shift mandates and failing to provide safer work environments that put both officers and incarcerated populations at greater risk. After standing alongside officers and fellow lawmakers, Assemblyman Matt Simpson (R,C-Lake George) later took time to speak with officers and their families individually. Simpson, who is currently sponsoring legislation to repeal the HALT Act (A.3217), said "Our correctional officers put their lives on the line every day, yet Albany policies like the HALT Act have made their jobs even more dangerous. Assaults on officers have risen 76%, and inmate-on-inmate assaults rose 169%. Today's demonstration is proof the crisis can no longer be ignored. "I stand with these brave men and women in demanding action. We must repeal the HALT Act and restore the tools necessary to keep our correctional facilities safe. "It's time for Gov. Hochul to listen to the voices of our correctional officers and take real action before this crisis spirals further out of control." Assemblyman Billy Jones, (D-Chateaugay Lake) who also voted against the HALT Act, said safety remains the No. 1 priority for corrections officers and staff. Sen. Dan Stec spoke at the rally and said "I hear our officers and their families and I'm proud to fight on their behalf. I'm committed to repealing HALT and enacting common sense safety reforms, so officers don't have to fear for their lives on the job. "I've seen the sacrifices our COs and their families make and unlike the governor, I've listened to their concerns. I won't stop fighting until Governor Hochul listens and acts."

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COs take to Albany

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