Nassau County plans to deputize armed civilians moving ahead despite protest
MINEOLA, Long Island (PIX11) -- The Nassau County Executive is pressing ahead with his plan to create a group of armed special sheriff's deputies to be used in the event of an emergency.
He said the first 25 civilians could be ready to deploy in an emergency as early as late May.
It comes even as outcry against the plan grows, including a large protest outside the County Government building on Monday.
A few hundred gathered on the steps of the county seat in Mineola. The protesters accuse Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman of creating his own militia-- to be called up only when he deems there's an emergency.
"Whose command will this militia be under? How much coordinating with the police will they do? How much training will they get? Will they be given other weapons when they are activated?" posed a spokeswoman for the Nassau County Civil Liberties Union.
It was one of many groups represented at the event organized by Nassau Democrats.
"I'm a mom, I have police officers in my family, I know what happens when the half-trained people in the wanna-be people start posturing," said Jeannine Maynard of Uniondale.
"They will have firearms training," said Blakeman at a press conference after the protest had wrapped up. "They will have training on the penal law. They will have training on the use of deadly force."
Blakeman said the pushback against his plan to have provisional deputies is a non-issue. He was flanked by men he said would begin the provisional deputy training as early as this week.
The County Executive once again emphasized that the special deputies would already have police and military experience and would only be asked to guard infrastructure like schools or hospitals in fully marked uniforms-- the goal being to free up sworn full-time officers for other tasks when he declares an emergency.
He said they would not wear body cameras and stressed he hoped he would never have to declare such an emergency.
PIX11 pressed Blakeman on some of the concerns raised outside, including what would happen if one of these armed special deputies had to make a life-and-death decision.
"All these people pretty much have been through training before and have served in in the police department, or in the military or as private investigators, so they're all highly trained," Blakeman said, adding that they would be retrained by the county as a refresher
And that he was comfortable of the caliber of people who would be enlisted.
Additionally, Blakeman said the provisional deputies would sign a waiver, clearing the county of liability, if they were personally injured.