Tallahassee Sues to Reveal Names of Police Officers Involved in Use-of-Force Incidents
The City of Tallahassee, Florida, is challenging a state constitutional amendment that bolsters crime victims’ rights by curbing the state’s open-records laws.
Florida’s First District Court of Appeal ruled on April 6 in the case that the amendment, which shields the identities of crime victims, covers police officers who are victims of crime.
Tallahassee officials argue the ruling has the effect of interfering with the ability of the public to hold police accountable in a state renowned for its laws guaranteeing public access to government records.
The appeal comes less than a month after the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to pursue criminal charges against the still-unidentified U.S. Capitol Police officer involved in the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt during the security breach at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, while Congress was in the process of officially certifyi
CAPE VINCENT â An inmate at Cape Vincent Correctional Facility was allegedly found to have what the corrections officersâ union describe as a weapon up his nose.
The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association Inc. said in a prepared statement Monday that an officer conducting a contraband search of an inmate on Jan. 29 uncovered an item stuffed up the nostril of the inmate. The item turned out to be a piece of ceramic sharpened on one end and melted into a plastic cap.
The weapon was placed into evidence and the inmate was placed in a Special Housing Unit pending disciplinary charges. The inmate, who was not identified by the union, is serving an 18-year prison sentence imposed in Bronx County in 2007 for a second-degree attempted murder conviction.
editorial@post-journal.com
GOWANDA –Village Mayor David Smith on Monday afternoon called the impending closing of the Gowanda Correctional Facility “terrible news for the hundreds of local workers.”
Smith, who said he participated in a Bible study with the prisoners there every Monday before the COVID-19 pandemic, said the news of the closing comes as a “total surprise.”
“To get news right before the holidays that a March 31 closing is imminent is a huge piece of bad news for this community that has worked hard to fight through this pandemic and so much more,” he said. “The state’s budget has been in bad shape long before COVID. Those in power like to link the deficit to COVID, but the budget has been struggling for awhile,” Smith said.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020 - 9:24 am
The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, Inc. (NYSCOPBA) criticized Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision to close more prisons as a part of his Executive Budget plan for fiscal year 2020-2021.
Prisons in Ogdensburg and Gouverneur appear to be safe from closure.
The announcement to close Watertown Correctional Facility, Gowanda Correctional Facility, and the Annex at Clinton Correctional Facility will impact more than 900 NYSCOPBA positions, disrupt the family lives of thousands and devastate communities, NYSCOPBA said in a press release.
“Announcing closures just days before Christmas is not only highly inconsiderate but it also demonstrates a lack of respect for the hardworking men and women of NYSCOPBA and their families. Can Governor Cuomo look our members in the face and say that, despite prison violence at near record levels, closing prisons is what’s best and will produce a safer
editorial@observertoday.com
GOWANDA Village Mayor David Smith on Monday afternoon called the impending closing of the Gowanda Correctional Facility “terrible news for the hundreds of local workers.”
Smith, who said he participated in a Bible study with the prisoners there every Monday before the COVID-19 pandemic, said the news of the closing comes as a “total surprise.”
“To get news right before the holidays that a March 31 closing is imminent is a huge piece of bad news for this community that has worked hard to fight through this pandemic and so much more,” he said. “The state’s budget has been in bad shape long before COVID. Those in power like to link the deficit to COVID, but the budget has been struggling for awhile,” Smith said.