Reforms Favoring Inmates Directly Linked to Attacks on Corrections Officers
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Capt. Peter DiChiara
Renee Fogarty’s piece last week (“Life in Prison Without Parole Doesn’t Stop Perpetual Cycle of Harm”) decrying Assemblyman Slater’s no parole for cop killers legislation equates to a fantasy novel of a make-believe utopia.
Don’t let Ms. Fogarty fool you. The reality of our world is crime exists and no amount of time can take away the pain and suffering of victims of these terrible actions.
The pain of certain crimes, such as the murder-for-hire mission that took the life of NYPD Officer Ed Byrne, will last for a lifetime. Officer Byrne was 22 years old when Scott Cobb and his accomplices took his life. The New York State Parole Board granted Cobb parole just like they have 36 other cop killers over the past six years.
I’m sure Ms. Fogarty would have you believe each one of these murderers changed their ways but there are certain crimes that require severe punishment. Murdering a police officer or first responder is one such crime and I applaud Assemblyman Slater for his legislation.
As a law enforcement professional for nearly 20 years, I can say with certainty that the policies Ms. Fogarty wants you, the reader, to embrace are eroding our society and public safety. In fact, in 2017, Ms. Fogarty published a piece in The Examiner opposing a new law that gave families affected by violence a voice at parole hearings. Ms. Fogarty went on to advocate for Raise the Age, parole reforms and ending solitary confinement. It is clear to me that Ms. Fogarty is not a voice for victims, their families or law enforcement but for the criminal.
Yes, there are always areas that can be improved, and during my time as a corrections officer there have been significant policy changes that favor inmates. The implementation of HALT, which limits solitary confinement and which Ms. Fogarty had been a clear advocate for, is one such example.
Unfortunately, neither law enforcement nor the state or local correction unions were consulted. As a result, in the first four months of HALT’s enactment there were more than 1,000 assaults on state correction personnel by inmates, an increase of 27 percent. According to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), there have been 854 inmate-on-staff assaults this year, which is on pace to be more than 2018 (973), 2019 (1,035), 2020 (1,053) and 2021 (1,177). We know this rise correlates with the lack of consequences because of bad policies like HALT.
Bottom line: Don’t be fooled by Ms. Fogarty’s extreme pro-criminal views. We don’t need more soft-on-crime policies and giveaways for criminals. We need to overhaul the state’s Parole Board and pass common-sense legislation that delivers more respect and protections for victims and law enforcement.
Capt. Peter DiChiara is president or the Westchester County Correction Superior Officers Association.
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