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NY County Training Armed Residents To Be 'Special Deputy Sheriffs': Here's Where, Why

A New York county is training armed residents who could be deputized during emergencies and natural disasters.

Nassau County on Long island is recruiting 'special' sheriff deputies to serve on a provisional force in the case of emergencies. 

Nassau County on Long island is recruiting 'special' sheriff deputies to serve on a provisional force in the case of emergencies. 

 Photo Credit: Pixabay/Diego Parra
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is recruiting a troop of special deputies.  

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is recruiting a troop of special deputies.  

 Photo Credit: Facebook/Councilman Bruce Blakeman
Kathy Reakes
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With the state's second-largest police force of 2,600 sworn officers, Nassau County posted a notice in March in local newspapers and other news outlets for a team of provisional emergency special deputy sheriffs "for the protection of human life and property during an emergency," said County Executive Bruce Blakeman in coordination with Nassau County Sheriff Anthony LaRocco.

In the advertisement, Blakeman said the "special deputies" will have no police powers unless an emergency is declared and they are activated.

Since then, the first team of 25 special deputies has completed training. Most are former law enforcement officers and veterans, officials said.

To be a special deputy, applicants must be between the ages of 21 and 72, a US citizen, possess a pistol license, be residents of Nassau County, and have had no felony convictions or alcohol or drug issues in the past five years.

However, according to ABC News, not all are happy about the mini "armed force," worried that Blakeman, a stanch Republican and supporter of former president Donald Trump, will use them to "quell political dissent."

Several protests against the provisional deputies have been held by various groups, including the gun control group Moms Demand Action.

“There is no need to give residents the broad and dangerously vague authority to respond, armed with deadly weapons, in the event of an emergency,” Laura Burns, a Rockville Centre resident and Moms Demand Action member, told ABC News.

Blakeman denies the concerns, saying the deputies will only respond to such demands as a Superstorm Sandy event.

“We are putting together this program so I won’t have to scramble to try and find qualified people,” Blakeman told ABC News in a phone interview.

However, some residents still point to the thousands of National Guard members, New York State Troopers, and the county Community Emergency Response Team as a backup for such emergencies.  

The county is still recruiting and training the special deputies, who will receive $150 a day pay when called out. 

For additional information on the program, click here to see the full list of requirements. 

To read the entire ABC News story, click here. 

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