Editor’s Note: Neil Pellone, President Westchester County Correction Officers Benevolent Association, wrote this letter to Governor Kathy Hochul:
As President of the Westchester County Correction Officers Benevolent Association, I write to share my disappointment in your recent veto of S8448/A9670, the “Death Gamble Bill” applicable to all uniformed staff at Westchester County Jail. This crucial legislation would have extended lump sum death benefits to the beneficiaries of Correction Officers who work past retirement eligibility but die before taking retirement. In 2021 you signed similar legislation for Nassau County Corrections. I am dismayed that you have decided to deny the same benefit to Westchester County Correction Officers, many of whom are your constituents and helped you handily win re-election this year.
According to your Veto Memorandum, the bill was rejected because it “did not include a funding source” or a plan to cover costs in the current or future years. You also indicated the bill would impose significant financial burdens on the State. I was stunned to hear this because it is simply untrue. Whether through inadvertence or otherwise, it seems you have overlooked the fact that a fiscal plan was attached to the Death Gamble Bill. Furthermore, earlier this year on May 23, 2022, the Westchester County Board of Legislators and County Executive George Latimer signed Resolution No. 94-2022 which supported the funding for this legislation by Westchester County. With this “home rule” in place, there would be no additional cost to NYS taxpayers on the State level.
With one stroke of your pen you followed in your predecessor’s footsteps in showing a lack of understanding of my members and the critical challenges facing Corrections today. There is currently a statewide recruitment drought in jails and prisons. To combat this, the New York State Sheriffs’ Association recently went so far as to announce that they will allow certain counties to hire correction officers without requiring them to pass a state civil service exam. While Westchester County is not part of this group, it too needs the ability to retain a strong workforce to ensure jail and public safety. Incentives like the Death Gamble Bill encourage experienced officers to continue working with the knowledge that their families have financial security. Without a stable, reliable jail workforce, taxpayers will ultimately pay a much larger burden when facilities like Westchester DOC are forced to take extraordinary staffing measures.
Lastly, the women and men of my membership put their lives and safety on the line in the name of public safety every day. Their dedication and sacrifices are invaluable especially during times of crisis like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Your veto and mistaken understanding of the Death Gamble Bill sends a message that the sacrifices my members make to keep our communities safe is not valued.
If this is not the message you want to convey, I implore you to correct your misunderstanding about the Death Gamble Bill and show my members the support they deserve by signing it into law during the next session.
Sincerely, Neil Pellone, Westchester COBA President
