The Peru Gazette

More than a dozen corrections officers injured by large group of violent inmates  

Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) today reiterated the need to repeal the HALT Act in the aftermath of the attack on corrections officers at Great Meadows Correctional Facility.

On Father’s Day, a large group of inmates injured 15 officers at the maximum-security facility in an attack. This brutal assault is part of a pattern since the HALT Act came into effect earlier this year. Attacks on officers in 2022 are on pace to exceed last year’s record totals. With this in mind, Stec is urging the governor and Legislature to end the crisis inside corrections facilities by passing his legislation (Senate bill S.9378) to repeal HALT.

“First, I’d like to thank the officers at Great Meadows for their service and wish them a swift recovery from the unconscionable assault on them,” Stec said. “Our COs have consistently been targeted by inmates in correctional facilities and the HALT Act has made it even worse.

“This year is on pace to set a sad benchmark by setting a new record for attacks on COs,” he continued. “We must listen to the people working in correctional facilities and repeal HALT. Doing so will help officers protect themselves and keep these sites secure.

“With the Legislature convening this week for Special Session, I urge Governor Hochul and the Legislature to take up my legislation to repeal HALT. This simply cannot wait,” Stec concluded.

“The level of violence in our correctional facilities has reach a tipping point that needs to be addressed immediately before an officer gets critically injured or even killed in one of these attacks.  All the HALT Act has done is take an already violent environment filled with inmate on staff and inmate on inmate attacks, and made it worse. The legislature needs to address this immediately and stop turning a blind eye to the violence that is occurring before something tragic happens,” stated John Roberts, NYSCOPBA Northern Region Vice President.