Concern after Hochul deploys National Guard, untrained parole officers to prisons amid wildcat correctional officer strike

ALBANY, NY - Last week, Law Enforcement Today reported that New York Governor Kathy Hochul threatened to deploy the New York National Guard to staff the state’s prisons as correctional officers in some facilities walked off the job in protest over salary, lax security checks for prison visitors, and a rollback on prison reforms, including one that limits solitary confinement.

As we reported, some officers have refused to report for their shifts at 25 facilities. 

On Wednesday, Hochul followed through on her threat and signed an executive order deploying Guard troops to New York state prison facilities, NBC News reported.

Hochul's office said in a press release over 3,500 National Guard troops reported on Wednesday to assess the situation and determine if additional assets would be required. The release said the troops would maintain general order in the prisons and distribute meals and medication to inmates.  

The deployment of National Guard troops, which has been implemented, has raised concerns among some family members of the troops that they are being put in an untenable situation without proper training on how to deal with violent criminals. 

In a post on Facebook, some people expressed concern over their deployment, with some asking if Guard members were certified to work in a correctional setting. Another said, “When 1 of these troops resorts to their instinctive combat training after being attacked by an inmate, the result will be on [Gov. Kathy] Hochul.” 

Another posted, “I was just told they lasted 1 hour at Groveland. They said this is far worse than what they were told and are standing down. I mentioned in another post that stupid Hochul is putting them in danger.” 

According to the Olean Times Herald, Hochul has previously refused to send New York National Guard troops to help secure the southern border. Instead, she attempted to blame New York Republican House members for refusing to back a border bill that would have done little to secure the border.

As evidenced by the dramatic decline in border crossings since President Trump was sworn in, congressional action was not necessary; it just took a return to Trump’s border policies to get things under control. 

Aside from National Guard members, the state is sending parole officers to the prisons to serve as defacto correctional officers, WROC in Rochester reported. According to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), parole officers receive “eight weeks” of training at the academy, which apparently qualifies them to work as prison guards. The husband of one of those parole officers disagrees. 

“My wife had none of that training. My wife is dealing with parolees,” said the husband, only identified as Tommy. “I don’t know when to expect my little bitty wife home again, whether it’s in the same day. I don’t know whether she’s going to be thrown into a prison facility or whether she’s going to be doing transport, which, in fact, is dangerous. This is putting many lives at risk, and we need help.” 

Tommy said both he and his wife are questioning the safety of ordering parole officers to serve as correction officers. 

‘She’s packing a bag with extra outfits and toiletries and everything you need to go away for a few days,” Tommy continued. “She has no idea where they’re going to send her, and she’s basically known she has to be there at eight o’clock in the morning at the Buffalo office.” 

The DOCSS denies that parole officers are not trained, claiming they are “peace officers” and those deployed to correctional facilities have come up through correction officer ranks.

That does not soothe Tommy, however. He believes the deployment is putting his wife and others at risk, and he is calling on Hochul to solve the problem. 

Tommy, a retired Buffalo police officer, said he knows many correctional officers and is friends with some. 

“I know many correctional officers. I work with them. I have friends and what kind of conditions they’re dealing with,” he said. “And how that HALT Act that she put into effect has basically drove everything into the ground. They need help.” 

The HALT Solitary Confinement Act limits the time inmates spend in segregated confinement and excludes certain persons from being placed there. 

To help end the wildcat strike, the state has declared a “prison-wide state of emergency,” which includes lifting HALT Act restrictions and paying correction officers who report for work double time and a half.