Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, accompanied by Sheriff Vera Fludd, administered the Correction Officer Oath of Office to 40 newly hired correction officer recruits in the Ceremonial Chamber yesterday afternoon. The class is comprised of nine female recruits and 31 male recruits, many of whom have prior law enforcement or military experience. This is the largest class of recruits to be hired since 2008.
In addition, four Nassau County Fire Marshals were also sworn in, and a Glen Cove Harbor Patrol Officer and Town of Oyster Bay Constable who will participate in training were present. At the swearing in, Curran assured the new recruits that no matter what the fiscal situation is for the county, they are guaranteed that their steps will not be frozen.
“Our correctional officers and fire marshals are an integral part of ensuring public safety in Nassau County, and I will continue to do all I can to support and strengthen their mission,” said Curran. “Thanks to legislation I secured with Governor Cuomo’s support, we can guarantee that our law enforcement will be getting their step increases and the tools they need to ensure public safety no matter what.”
“I am extremely pleased to welcome this large and diverse group of correction officer recruits,” said Fludd. “We are continuing to move forward in recruiting and hiring people who want to serve Nassau County in this challenging yet rewarding law enforcement profession.”
“I am extremely proud and happy to see this large number of recruits hired as correction officers in Nassau County,” said Brian Sullivan, President of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association. “COBA has been working diligently with the county administration and civil service to get these new hires on board to finally catch up on the large number of retirements we have experienced here in the last couple of years. We still have much more work to do to get our work force back up to full strength and…I greatly appreciate the county executive’s help in the passage of the NIFA Steps Legislation.”
The 14-week long initial recruit training will include recently added topics such as mental health first aid and Narcan training. On Sept. 28, a recruit class of 25 graduated the Sheriff’s Training Academy and have since begun working at the correctional center.
Corrections officers are the only law enforcement members that have a Nassau County-specific residency requirement, which limits recruitment efforts. The county will be seeking legislation to expand the job to contiguous counties, similar to the police department’s recruitment.
In November 2018, Governor Cuomo signed a bill that will allow Nassau County’s union employees to receive annual “step” raises even if the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) imposes a wage freeze.
—Submitted by Nassau County
