Union Outrage: NYC Correction Officers Demand Firing of Rikers Security Head After Slashing!
A correction officer at Rikers Island was brutally slashed in the head by an inmate during a fight inside the troubled jail on Wednesday.
This violent incident led the correction officers’ union to call for the dismissal of the jail’s security chief, citing an alarming rise in attacks at the facility.
The officer, who was breaking up a fight at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, was allegedly attacked by Kareem Reid, a 30-year-old Bloods gang member.
Despite the officer’s efforts to protect Reid from two rival inmates, Reid reportedly knifed the officer from behind.
The officer, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed disbelief over the attack, saying, “I didn’t believe it because I’m here trying to protect him, and the inmate is cutting an officer.”
The violence started when the officer used pepper spray to break up the fight, causing Reid’s rivals to flee. However, according to the officer’s account, up to 15 inmates soon surrounded him.
The officer tried to shield Reid from further attacks by keeping him behind, but suddenly felt a swiping motion at the back of his neck. Other inmates began shouting, “He’s cutting him, he’s cutting him,” alerting the officer to the assault.
Despite being hit with pepper spray, Reid continued his attack, showing little response to the deterrent.
The officer and another staff member eventually managed to wrestle Reid to the ground as backup arrived. The shaken officer, who was treated at Mount Sinai Hospital after the attack, described the experience as feeling like “an eternity.”
Reid, who is in custody on murder charges related to a 2020 homicide in the Bronx, was charged with assault with a weapon following this latest incident.
The correction officer involved in the attack has endured four similar assaults since joining the Department of Corrections (DOC) in 2018.
He voiced frustration over the lack of consequences for inmates, saying, “We are pretty much-sitting ducks in the housing area, and these guys are just running around doing whatever they want.”
This sentiment was echoed by the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA) President, Benny Boscio, who called for the immediate firing of Ronald Brereton, the DOC’s Deputy Commissioner of Security Operations.
Boscio criticized Brereton’s leadership, claiming that under his watch, the security situation at Rikers has worsened significantly. “Today’s slashing incident marks the latest epic security failure under the disastrous tenure of Deputy Commissioner for Security Ronald Brereton,” Boscio said in a statement.
Since Brereton’s appointment in May 2022, there have been nearly 140 slashing incidents, 92 stabbing incidents, and more than 400 assaults on correction officers, according to the union.
Boscio accused Brereton of neglecting critical security measures, such as weapon searches, and focusing instead on disciplinary actions against officers. “Before his incompetency gets one of our officers or an inmate under our supervision killed, Brereton should be fired immediately,” Boscio said.
In response to the attack, DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie reaffirmed the department’s commitment to safety.
“The health and safety of everyone who works and lives in our facilities will always be our top priority, and we will not tolerate any act of violence against the hardworking men and women of this department,” she said.
Read More:
NYC Robbery Case Ends with 35-Year Sentence for Attempted Witness Murder!
Fatal Shooting in Bronx Apartment Hallway: Police Detain Seven in Ongoing Investigation!
The DOC’s Correction Intelligence Bureau worked with the Bronx District Attorney’s office to process Reid for re-arrest.