Democrats sue GOP county executive over armed volunteer unit they say amounts to an illegal militia [View all]
Source: Yahoo! News/AP
Updated Wed, February 5, 2025 at 5:52 PM EST
NEW YORK (AP) — Democrats in suburban New York are suing a Republican county executive over his creation of an armed unit of volunteer residents, saying it amounts to an “illegal, taxpayer-funded civilian militia.”
Nassau County Democratic lawmakers argue in their complaint filed Wednesday that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman lacked the legal authority to form a cadre of special sheriff's deputies with “authority to use deadly force and make arrests under color of law.”
They say state law authorizes local sheriffs to deputize only trained law enforcement officers from other agencies in emergencies — not private citizens. “New York State law is clear: only professional, sworn officers can wield police powers,” said Josh Kelner, whose law firm Kelner & Kelner joined the Free and Fair Litigation Group to file the suit on behalf of Democratic lawmakers. “Blakeman’s militia is illegal and a clear threat to public safety."
Democrats, who are the minority in the county legislature, also complain Blakeman's office has ignored their public records requests seeking basic details of the program, including who is being recruited, the scope of their training, the specific weapons they will carry and the total taxpayer cost of the program.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/democrats-sue-gop-county-executive-184154169.html
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