HEALTH & SAFETY


Three downstate parole offices get metal detectors


By DEBORAH A. MILES Since the April 15 shooting of parole


officer Samuel Salters at his desk in a downtown Brooklyn office by a parolee, the state Division of Parole has installed metal detectors in the Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens parole offices. PEF and the Division of Parole agreed


upon a pilot program in 2009 that would install two metal detectors in offices in New York City. The program stalled over disagreement on how to staff the detectors. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until after the


shooting of Salters that implementation of the metal-detector program became a priority. Ismael Cruz Jr, PEF


chair of the joint health and safety committee at the division, said the metal detectors deter parolees from bringing in weapons. “They have made a


difference from the first day they were in use,” Cruz said. “They were placed in high-risk offices


CRUZ


and that is a good start. “Parole officers realize the harsh


budget restraints placed on the division by the state during a time when our elected officials can’t balance a budget. Parole officers agreed to staff the metal detectors during the trial phase. It is still unresolved who will staff them later,” Cruz said. “We are willing to work and cooperate


with the division because we all realize how important it is for us to remain safe. It’s our own lives and the lives we protect in the community. But we also need to weigh in that staffing the metal detectors reduces time we have for our caseloads.” PEF parole leaders


Manuelita Clemente, Michael Murphy, Cruz and Darryl Stevenson sent a letter to Andrea Evans, chair of the state Board of Parole, in early June expressing PEF’s concerns regarding the significant risks of violence in parole offices. Clemente said PEF


appreciates Evans’


leadership in obtaining the three used metal detectors, which came from the state Office of General Services. She said PEF is concerned about the condition of the metal detectors and inquired if the division had information about the reliability and quality of the equipment. She requested the program be quickly developed and implemented. Another issue involves the Workplace


Violence Prevention Law that requires each state agency to conduct a risk evaluation and determination for each worksite. The Division of Parole has conducted


most of the evaluations, but not the determinations. Clemente asked that a plan be established for division management to work with PEF representatives at each site and complete the remaining risk evaluations and all of the determinations within 60 days. Clemente said she felt optimistic Evans


would respond. “No one wants to see any more


CLEMENTE


violence, deaths or shootings,” Clemente said. “This last incident involving officer Salters has put us closer to being on the same page.”


chances of parking on the street have been poor for decades and now they may get much worse. In June, the state Senate passed a bill


Push coming to shove in Albany parking squeeze “We believe the public


By SHERRY HALBROOK If you work in downtown Albany, your


29 Republicans voting no.


(A.01039A/S.396A) sponsored by Albany Democrats Sen. Neil Breslin and Assembly Member Jack McEneny that would authorize the city of Albany to enact a permit system restricting parking to residents. It would apply to an area within a three-quarters-of-a-mile radius of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza. Permits would not be required for


parking adjacent to commercial properties in the affected area. Also, the legislation calls for 20 percent of the parking spaces in the area to be available as short-term parking for non-residents. PEF is vigorously opposing the


legislation, as it has done for decades. While the union has always succeeded in the past in blocking parking restrictions, the shift of power in the state Senate has made that more difficult. The June 22 vote in the Senate was along party lines with all 32 Democrats voting yes and the


www.pef.org WURSTER


streets are, and should remain, open to use by all of our citizens. They should not be restricted to use by a small group for any


purpose, including parking,” said PEF Region 8 Coordinator Bill Wurster. “It’s very disappointing to see our state legislators putting the interests of a small group of residents over the needs of the general public.” PEF has pointed out


restricting parking to residents would not just create a hardship for people who work downtown, it also could negatively affect many


small businesses there. “Albany’s lack of public parking isn’t a


new development,” Wurster said. “The residents were well aware of it when they chose to move into the neighborhoods around downtown.


“The solution to


the parking shortage is to create more parking spaces, not to pit one group of citizens against another by rationing the limited space available.” PEF has publicly


called on Gov. Paterson to veto this legislation if it arrives on his desk, and to work with city leaders on creating new parking, which is long overdue.


The Communicator July-August 2010—Page 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28