By C1 Staff
NEW YORK — The vice president of the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association’s Western Region called on the New York Department of Corrections and Community Service to address current events at the Auburn Correctional Facility.
The facility has recently been through a series of lockdowns following inmate attacks on staff, according to the Auburn Pub.
“The current climate in that facility is a risk to the safety of the inmates, the civilian staff and our members,” said Michael Dildine.
Dildine cited two other incidents that had not yet been made public and which occurred in the same number of days: one involving an officer finding a razor on an inmate’s person and another where an inmate struck an officer in the face.
“There needs to be real solutions provided by management that addresses the ongoing violence and not just rhetoric,” Dildine said. “We cannot afford to let the violence continue at this pace, otherwise someone is going to get seriously injured or killed.”
Acting DOCCS Commissioner Anthony Annucci issued a statement in response:
Maximum security prisons, by their very nature, are dangerous places and it’s why DOCCS places such critical importance on staff training. In five separate occasions over the last 13 days at Auburn Correctional Facility, security staff have been asked to perform their difficult duties by intervening in inmate-on-inmate violence. I’m thankful for our staff and remain committed to gathering intelligence and monitoring the day-to-day facility operations in order to maintain a stable environment for all.