Parole officer who survived shooting speaks out, thanks all who supported him


By SHERRY HALBROOK For three years, parole officer Sam


Salters spoke only to law enforcement and in court about the ordeal he went through when he was shot by a parolee in April 2010 at the state parole office in Brooklyn. Now the shooter, Robert Morales, has been convicted of aggravated, attempted murder in the first degree and has been given the maximum sentence of 40 years to life in prison, Salters wants to speak out. “As the only New York state parole


officer to ever survive such an assault,” Salters said. “I am proud to represent, as much as possible, parole officers and the dangers we face in protecting the people of New York state. I think parole officers are really unsung heroes.” Salters said he was at his desk,


working at a computer when Morales came into his cubicle and shot him. (At that time, parolees were escorted to reporting stations without being scanned by a metal detector.) “He was aiming for my head, but I


moved and the bullet entered my shoulder, passed through some of my internal organs and exited my back,” Salters said. “Morales tried to shoot me again, but his gun jammed and he was taken into custody. Thankfully, no one


By SHERRY HALBROOK With state budget issues now in the


rearview mirror, PEF is focused on key bills it wants to see passed in the state Legislature. Among the union’s top priorities is


persuading legislators to introduce and pass a bill to require state agencies to carefully weigh the relative costs and advantages of using their own employees to do work before they decide to hand it off to private consultants. “We have persuaded lawmakers to


pass this cost/benefit legislation before, only to see it vetoed by the governor,” said PEF President Susan Kent. “We are now working with legislators to redraft a bill to address concerns the governor raised with that previous legislation. Getting this passed and signed into law would go a long way toward stopping the waste of millions of state tax dollars, and toward rebuilding the state workforce. PEF has shown state workers can do most of this work better and at a lower cost than the profit-driven private sector.”


Page 6—The Communicator May 2013


else was hurt.” Salters said he was in a coma and had


surgery to repair the damage from the gunshot. He was in the hospital for three weeks. However, after being sent home to recover, he developed pneumonia in the lung that had been punctured by the bullet. That required more surgery and another three weeks in the hospital. It was 11 months before he was well


enough to return to work. “I put my faith in God and that’s what


got me through,” Salters said. “I was in a coma, and once I came out of it, I believed God would get me through it.” Salters said he felt surrounded by


support from all sides throughout his hospitalizations, his recovery and the trials. (A mistrial was declared the first time Morales was prosecuted for the shooting, and the conviction and sentencing came this March and April at the end of a second trial.) “I had 24-hour security after the


shooting, and my fellow officers volunteered to protect me,” Salters recalled. “They donated money to help me and it was very much appreciated. The doctors and the staff at the hospital were all working very hard to help me get well.” Most of all, Salters said he appreciated the devotion of his mother and his


Survivor’s pension benefit Another bill that’s very important to


PEF is A4916, that has been introduced by Assembly Members Peter J. Abbate Jr., William Colton and Jeffrion Aubry. Dubbed “The Death Gamble bill” by PEF, this legislation is meant to correct a problem that exists when a member of the state retirement system dies while the state is still processing the retirement application. This bill would allow the member’s


beneficiary to receive the survivor pension benefit as if the death had occurred after the member’s expected retirement date.


Expanding FOIL PEF also is building support for bill


S2224 that was introduced by state Sen. Kenneth LaValle and has five additional Senate cosponsors. It would amend the state Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) to expand its coverage to certain types of corporations and foundations that are created, controlled by or affiliated with a state agency. One example would be the


girlfriend who were at his side until he fully recovered. “I really appreciate the support I


received from PEF health and safety staff, and at the trial from PEF and the parole officers. The PEF president and secretary- treasurer came to the trial when I testified, and President Susan Kent was there for the sentencing. “I was shocked to see state Corrections


Commissioner Brian Fischer and state Parole Board Chairwoman Andrea Evans and other top administrators at the trial. I knew they were there for me and my family. It meant a lot to me. “I do believe justice served me and my


family and all parole officers when the jury convicted on the most serious count possible and the judge ordered the most severe sentence possible,” Salters said. “This was a victory for all PEF


members and for all parole officers. I went through all of this for my brotherhood, because that verdict and sentence set a legal precedent and sent a message not to assault parole officers. And I believe the shooting helped to get metal detectors in more of the parole offices. So, we are all safer. “I had to carry that torch, and I was


proud to do it.” PEF supporting key bills in Legislature


state University of New York Research Foundation.


Meeting with legislators “We are working hard to educate


legislators about the need for two bills that would affect state parole officers and two others that would affect nurses,” Kent said. “A large group of parole officers came to Albany to talk to lawmakers about a bill relating to heart disease and another relating to workers’ compensation for parole officers. PEF nurses also will meet with legislators to discuss both a safe patient handling bill and a safe staffing bill that are important to them. The parole-related bills are:


A4922/S4149 (Parole Heart bill) and A5899A/S4095 (expanded compensation for parole officers suffering from work- related illness or injury). The nursing bills are: A2180A/S1123A (Safe Patient Handling bill) and S3691 (Safe Staffing bill). “We also ask our activists in each


region to meet with their legislators during May to discuss the other bills


PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445


LEGISLATIVE ACTION


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