Heart attack kills parole officer
By DEBORAH A. MILES
In October, Maritza St. John, a parole office and PEF Division 236 steward, died of a heart attack. She suffered an asthma attack at work, went home, felt worse and called 911. She expired in the ambulance en route to the hospital. She left behind her 18 year-old college-bound son, Darius Green.

In June, another PEF member and parole officer, Elsie Hughes, was found dead in her Brooklyn home of a massive heart attack. She worked out of the Bronx state Division of Parole office and left work extremely stressed the day she died, according to a co-worker.

“We are tired of burying our officers,” said Manuelita Clemente, PEF Division 236 council leader. “So many officers are stressed out, overworked and underpaid.”

Clemente said along with sadness over the loss of co-workers, many of the parole officers are also disappointed the governor vetoed the heart bill.

The bill, had it been signed into law, would have entitled a state parole officer to a disability pension if the officer became disabled due to a heart condition. The bill also had an enhanced death benefit, giving the survivor 50 percent of the officer’s pension for life.

“We’d like to change the governor’s mind and let him know this issue is still very much alive at the state Division of Parole,” Clemente said. “The officers want to make an issue of this because a lot of them can’t retire.

If someone else dies of a heart attack, let’s hope there’s something for the family. The heart bill, if ever signed into law, would take care of that.

“Out of respect for officer St. John, we need to carry out her wish that her son attends college. Had the heart bill been signed, this would not be a problem,” Clemente said.

Anyone who would like to contribute may send a check payable to Darius Green and mail it to Clemente in care of the NYC PEF office at 225 Broadway, Suite 1406 New York, NY 10007.

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