In a demonstration Oct. 30, the Sheriff Officers Association (ShOA) of Nassau County, the union that represents 1,100 correction officers at the Nassau Correctional Facility (NCCF), expressed the lack of confidence they have in the leadership of county Sheriff Edward Reilly, accusing him of endangering the health and safety of officers and inmates as well as the safety of the surrounding community.

Some 350 union representatives carrying signs and chanting their disapproval with the sheriff's leadership picketed outside the Carman Avenue correctional facility last Monday. They want Reilly to "lead or leave" and put an immediate end to what they refer to as harmful policies that are often in violation of minimum New York State Commission of Correction and Department of Labor standards.

During the demonstration, ShOA President John Duer stood beside a coffin displayed to represent the severity of the situation at hand as the union cited a variety of grievances with Reilly and the county. "We have lost all confidence with Sheriff Reilly [and] want to get issues resolved before someone gets hurt or killed," said Duer, adding that he has never seen as many officers voicing their disapproval as he did at this demonstration.

Among the union's grievances is the lack of sprinklers and fire alarm systems in the correctional facility's A and B buildings, despite the county budgeting $1.5 million in 2004 to begin a study and preconstruction plans.

According to ShOA, the Nassau fire marshal is fully aware of the situation, and, despite the county budgeting for the project every year, no work has been done to date. Instead, ShOA officials state Reilly has assigned one fire watch officer to patrol the two buildings to watch for fires. Additionally, they state that the patrol post goes unmanned during a 40-minute meal break three times a day. Such an arrangement is unacceptable, said union reps, since, in late 2005, this particular policy resulted in more than 20 correction officers being exposed to noxious smoke and a handful requiring medical attention when the communication office, located in building A, went up in flames.

Elizabeth Loconsolo, general counsel to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, however, states that the union has been made "well aware of the capital improvement projects for new a new fire safety system." "The designs have been drafted," she said, and are awaiting review by the county.

Union officials are also alleging that necessary funding to continually provide officers with bulletproof vests and protective gear needed to man specific posts, particularly those located outside the correctional facility, has yet to be secured.

In addition, although $600,000 was allocated in the county budget for class "A" correction officer uniforms, union reps state that presently only about 33 percent have been provided while at least 35 correction officers currently in training have been forced to wear hand-me-down Nassau County Police Academy uniforms.

Loconsolo, however, states that this is the first time the sheriff's office is being made aware of a problem with the uniforms. "The uniforms were ordered," she said. "The design or type of uniform was approved by the sheriff and the union picked the color. We were not made aware that anyone was wearing police uniforms."

ShOA officials also report that, despite paying penalties from the NYS Labor Department in early 2005, leaky roofs in building E (Old Satellite), where some 300 inmates are housed, have yet to be repaired and, as a result, this area is inundated with mold. Such has caused health and electrical hazards as well as put officers in danger of slip and fall accidents, creating a particularly dangerous environment for officers in the presence of inmates, said ShOA reps.

But Loconsolo disagrees, stating that "there is a roof repair project that is ongoing." "We did a lot of repair on the roof last year," she said. "If there are additional problems, the contractor needs to be notified and is required to come back in."

According to the union, correction officers are being put in great danger transporting inmates to the Nassau University Medical Center in old, beaten-up vehicles that leak exhaust fumes, lack heat and have many mechanical problems. Loconsolo said the sheriff's office has never been notified of this concern and that, if "they were unsafe, they would be taken off the road or repaired. We have a fleet services unit for that," she said.

Additionally, ShOA reps state that Reilly is in violation of a March 2006 State Commission of Correction direction prohibiting inmates to perform work outside the secured confines of the correctional facility under the watch of civilian staff. Industry guidelines state that certified correction officers must perform any supervision of inmates outside the confines of the facility, the union states that civilian workers are monitoring inmates off-site. With East Meadow High School, a senior community, Eisenhower Park and the medical center, as well as some 100,000 residents, within a stone's throw of the jail, the union states such is unacceptable.

"This is absolutely incorrect," said Loconsolo. "No inmates are off the premises without being under the supervision of a correction officer."

While union reps state that Reilly has failed to provide correction officers with Hepatitis B vaccinations, as required by the New York State Labor Law, until ShOA took him to arbitration, Loconsolo states that this charge is totally inaccurate. "We are very surprised by their comments on this," she said. "We offered and provided Hepatitis B shots in 2005 and this year worked very closely with the Nassau University Medical Center. [The vaccine program] started in the summer and ends in November. We make shots available for many months and kept the union abreast of our progress."

Union reps also state that while under Department of Labor regulations, the State Department of Safety and Health require details of all injuries and illnesses to staff from the previous year be conspicuously posted the first four months of each following year, Reilly has refused to disclose information regarding injuries and illnesses incurred or contracted at the correctional facility by union members. ShOA has requested the data under the Freedom of Information Law.

ShOA was formed in 1999 as a result of the Nassau County correction officers' separation from the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) and represents approximately 1,100 correction officers who serve at the Nassau County Correctional Facility to protect the safety of the public from well over 1,600 inmates who are currently housed in the facility.

The union recently won a federal lawsuit brought against Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi for illegally and unilaterally imposing a payroll lag on correction officers in September 2003, resulting in the county being forced to pay back more than $3 million that was illegally withheld from their members' paychecks. The monies have not yet been paid.

In addition, ShOA members have been without a contract since January 2005, a factor Loconsolo believes has a great deal to do with the accusations ShOA is making against the sheriff. "The sheriff supports a contract that is fair for both the correction officers and the Nassau County taxpayers," she said, adding that the sheriff's office "believes the picketing by ShOA is in fact because the correction officers do not have a contract."

Such is not the case said Duer, considering contract issues have nothing to do with the sheriff. "If it was contractorial, we would be in Mineola. We do not negotiate with Reilly, we negotiate with Suozzi. Our concerns are all health and safety issues. These are issues that pertain to Reilly himself."

He continued, "Unless Sheriff Reilly starts working with us, rather than against us, someone is going to get seriously injured or possibly wind up dead. Corrections is one of the most dangerous jobs in law enforcement. Sheriff Reilly should be made to answer for his irresponsible and dangerous policies that multiply the risks we take every day."

As of press time, negotiations regarding the union's contract are ongoing. Over the summer, the union and the county met with a mediator and a second meeting is planned for this month. Even with a contract in place, said Duer, ShOA will continue to seek binding arbitration from the county. "Unless we take the necessary steps to file for arbitration with a governing agency or threaten the county with legal action, we can't seem to get any cooperation from county officials," he said.