MAKING NEWS — PEF Division 236 Council Leader Manuelita Clemente tells reporters at an August press conference the conditions at the state Division of Parole have deteriorated under the direction of Executive Director Anthony Ellis. Parole officers Ismael Cruz, and Richard Mata and PEF President Roger Benson and others addressed the media. — Photo by Fred Moody
Public safety vs. paperwork
Parole officers call for Ellis’ resignation
By DEBORAH A. MILES
With passion and courage a dozen PEF Division 236 members from the state Division of Parole called for the resignation of parole’s executive director, Anthony Ellis, at an August 17 press conference in Albany.
One by one, union officials and members told a room of reporters how new policies from Ellis have put the public at risk and have alienated his own staff.
“We are here to tell you today it is our belief that rearrest quotas do exist in the Division of Parole, and, rather than investigating this threat to public safety, management is pursuing a witch hunt against those exposing these dangerous practices,” said PEF President Roger Benson.
“Our members are bound by law not to discuss any specifics regarding parole rearrests. They can discuss this with parole management, but Mr. Ellis refuses to investigate the question of quotas,” Benson said.
Bronx parole officer Michael Murphy said the administration has added responsibilities to their already tight schedule.
“We’re doing synopses of our case loads, collecting monthly fees from the parolees and collecting urine for drug tests,” Murphy said. “In essence, they’ve got us working as bag men for the state of New York.”
The beef with the Ellis administration has been festering for more than a year. According to members, the administration is relentless about redundant paperwork, which is weakening the ability of parole officers to deter parolees from committing crimes.
Public safety concern
“We’re dealing with a population that the administration must understand is still doing time,” said Albany parole officer Ismael Cruz. “We have massive caseloads and are unable to watch all the parolees. This is the greatest risk to public safety.”
Cruz said the Ellis administration has imposed other obstacles such as allowing supervisors to rewrite parole officers’ reports. “This puts parolees back on the streets even if they are in violation,” he said.
“PEF and Division 236 have been protesting for more than a year about the reckless disregard for public safety. Director Ellis was informed by PEF about the problems at the Albany field office in December 2004. Instead of investigating the union’s concern’s, Director Ellis went after the parole officers,” Cruz said.
PEF Division 236 Council Leader Manuelita Clemente said parole officers are frustrated, belittled and morale is at an all-time low.
“It is a filthy disgrace what this administration has done to this agency,” she said. “Innocent people have been injured and killed because we are not able to do our jobs. We’re doing paperwork instead. The accountability ends at the executive director’s office.”
Retired parole officers and state Assembly Member Thomas Kirwan also spoke in favor of dismantling the current parole administration.
Building the fight
The call for Ellis’ resignation is a result of the push-come-to-shove environment the parole officers have encountered since last year. And the August press conference is not the first time they made their concerns public.
More than 200 parole officers from across the state rallied at the state Capitol in Albany about community safety despite a heavy downpour in July. That event was also well-covered by the media.
After marching in the rain for more than an hour, the protesters — including PEF Division 202 members from the state Labor Department, Education Department and others — headed to the Empire Plaza Convention Center to pay respect at a memorial service for fallen parole officers.
In silence, they entered the hall. But Ted Cook, director of the state Office of Professional Responsibility for Parole, spotted the line of parole officers and called state troopers to throw them out.
On July 24, parole officers held an informational picket outside the American Probation and Parole Association convention in Manhattan, where they distributed fact sheets to the general public.
Benson said the union would continue to pressure the parole administration for Ellis’ resignation.
“We will keep this fight alive, for community safety and to protect the daily working conditions of our members,” he said.
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