By Hank Russell
A local organization is calling on New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s plan to deputize county residents and pay them for their work. The group claims that the program was implemented with legislative approval and some of those who become deputies may be some of the demonstrators who assaulted Capitol police officers during the January 6 riots in Washington, D.C. who have since been pardoned.
In a January 25 letter obtained by Long Island Life & Politics, Nassau Residents for Good Government (NRGG) — a Nassau County government watchdog group — said that Blakeman has established a “militia” without obtaining approval from the county Legislature. Despite numerous Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, according to NRGG, “Mr. Blakeman has refused to reveal the authority for establishing this militia, the need for the militia, or any standards whatsoever for deploying the militia.”
Further, the letter states that Blakeman will be paying each deputy $150 a day, but, the NRGG pointed out, that was not approved by the Legislature, either. They said Blakeman does not say if these “militia” members will be paid for their training, or what type of training these deputies will receive.
Lastly, the NRGG said there is “no assurance that there is a legal or constitutional check on their power” and, if any of these deputies cause any physical or property damage, they can be held legally responsible, which means the county residents — the ones the deputies swore to protect — will be on the hook, financially, for the deputies’ actions.
“In the perilous times which this country is now experiencing, it is dangerous to have a group of armed individuals deployed by one person without any standards for their deployment or for their actions,” the NRGG wrote.
The organization also blamed the Republican-led Legislature for “refus[ing] to do its job in overseeing and reining in this extra-legal power grab.”
LILP has reached out to Blakeman’s office, but did not hear back as of press time.