Violent Inmate Fights Lead to Officer Injuries in Upstate New York Prison

The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) continues to sound the alarm when it comes to violence in prisons. This latest surge in violence resulted in two injured officers and the discovery of illegal drugs.

During a 12-day span from November 5th to November 17th, five inmate-on-inmate fights occurred at the Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, resulting in injuries to multiple inmates. That violence extended to correctional officers as well. One incident was reported to officers when an inmate approached an officer station to report they had been cut by another inmate.

One incident of violence towards an officer occurred in the mess hall when an inmate picked up his food tray and threw it toward another inmate. The tray missed that inmate and struck a correctional officer in the upper body. The second incident of violence occurred when an officer was frisking an inmate for contraband. During the search, the inmate punched the officer with a closed fist. The inmate was detained and secured and the search continued. As a result of the search a balloon was discovered with paper inside with an unknown drug saturated into the paper.  The inmate had the balloon hidden inside his underwear.

Weapons are also a problem in New York State Prisons. NYSCOPBA Central Region Vice President Bryan Hluska says searches recovered two weapons during cube searches.  A sharpened toothbrush was recovered inside of an inmate’s locker and a second weapon was recovered as a result of an inmate-on-inmate fight.  After the fight was broken up, officers searched the cube of one of the inmates and located a weighted cloth underneath the inmate’s bed.

Hluska says,

As we enter the last month of 2024, the onslaught of violence, drugs and weapons at our state prisons continue. In one day at Mohawk, we had three inmate on inmate fights within hours of each other, one resulting in one staff being injured. Thankfully, the sergeant and officer who were assaulted and injured by the two inmates only sustained minor injuries and remained on duty. That is not always the case. More serious attacks on staff are occurring resulting in officers sustaining  serious injuries resulting in them being out of work for extensive period of times. When that occurs, it puts strain on staff that already is dealing with shortages and mandatory overtime. The current system remains unsustainable and will continue to be until the State addresses the violence with real solutions.

The blame, according to Hluska, falls on New York State legislators who chose to handcuff the officers from punishing and properly discipling those violent offenders. God Bless those who risk their safety every day in a violent and dangerous job.