Officers: Help us, judges
Court protectors slam lack of staff
ALBANY – The two unions representing court officers are calling on judges not to take the bench unless staffing levels improve.
In a letter sent to 763 judges in New York City and the 9th judicial district that covers the northern suburbs, Pat Cullen, president of the state Supreme Court Officers Association, and Dennis Quirk, head of the state Court Officers Association, wrote that many courtrooms are woefully understaffed.
“The courts are facing a crisis because of the extremely low staffing levels of court offices, which poses a dangerous threat to you, your staff, attorneys, prospective jurors and the general public,” they wrote.
The number of court officers in the city and the 9th district has fallen to 2,600, down from 3,300 in 2008, the two said.
“Courtrooms that once had four officers for trials or hearings, now often have as few as two,” the two wrote.
In Manhattan Supreme Court, four to six courtrooms are closed on an average day because of a lack of officers to staff them, which causes delays, Cullen and Quirk wrote.
The shortage has led to a rise officer injuries — 60 officers are on leave due to injuries sustained in courthouse altercations, “many of which could have been prevented with proper staffing,” Cullen and Quirk wrote.
“We respectfully ask you to take immediate action to help address this problem by refusing to open courtrooms without proper staffing under guidelines the Office of Court Administration issued in 2008, but which have been largely ignored,” they wrote. “You will be protecting yourself and the thousands of people who use the courts every day.”
Cullen and Quirk also urged judges to demand state Chief Judge Janet DiFiore hire more officer to meet the staffing guidelines, which, in some cases, require as many as five court officers and one sergeant. They included a copy of the guidelines with the letter.
“We wanted to make the judges fully aware of our stance and our beliefs, and actually asked them to join us and do their part in helping us maintain a safer environment in the courts of New York,” Cullen told the Daily News.
Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for DiFiore and the Office of Court Administration, agreed with the need for more officer.
“We have been working to resolve that for months,” Chalfen said.
He said “a large number” of new hires are ready for deployment starting in December, with the total expected to hit 400 by June.
In addition, the court system is scaling back its Mobile Security Patrol support unit that worked round the clock, with 34 members of the detail being reassigned back to courtrooms in New York City.
“As a uniformed force, New York State Court Officers are deployed in court facilities, throughout New York City and State, based on both public safety and operational needs,” Chalfen said.