Assemblyman Jeff Gallahan (R,C-Manchester) today issued the following statement regarding the recent assault on correction officers at Auburn Correctional Facility that left five officers injured.

On March 2, during evening movement for dinner, a 49-year-old inmate attacked correction officers inside the facility. According to reports, the inmate first punched an officer monitoring inmate movement before using a sharpened metal weapon to stab another officer multiple times. Officers were able to restrain the inmate after he attempted to flee and continued to resist staff during the escort from the cell block.

Five correction officers were injured during the incident. Four officers sustained injuries to the knee, shoulder, hand, and thumb but remained on duty, while the officer who was stabbed was transported to Auburn Community Hospital for treatment of puncture wounds and other injuries.

“As a member of the Assembly Standing Committee on Correction, I take incidents like this extremely seriously,” said Gallahan. “Our correction officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to maintain order and protect the safety of our communities. The violent assault that occurred at Auburn Correctional Facility is deeply troubling and underscores the dangerous conditions many officers are facing inside our state prisons.”

Gallahan noted that concerns about safety inside New York’s correctional facilities have been raised repeatedly by correction officers across the state.

“About a year ago, I stood alongside correction officers who were speaking out about the unsafe working conditions inside our prisons,” Gallahan said. “Unfortunately, incidents like this show that those concerns were not only valid, but that more must be done to ensure the safety of the men and women working on the front lines of our correctional system.”

Gallahan thanked the officers who responded quickly to bring the situation under control and extended his well-wishes to those injured.

“I am grateful for the professionalism and courage of the officers who responded during this incident,” Gallahan said. “My thoughts are with the officers who were injured, and I wish them a full and speedy recovery.”