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Lawsuit filed against sheriff & county executive

Inside the Erie County Holding Center
WBFO News file photo
Inside the Erie County Holding Center

A lawsuit has been filed in an attempt to make conditions at Erie County jail safer for staffers. Teamsters Local 264 represents County Sheriff's deputies.

The suit calls on County Executive Chris Collins to comply with a New York state corrections law requiring the county to provide sufficient resources to safely staff the county's jail system.

The suit comes on the heels of a recent settlement agreement between the County and U.S. Department of Justice improve prisoner care and custody.

"We fully support Sheriff Timothy Howard and DOJ's efforts to address the deterioration of the county's jails," said Mary Holl, President of Teamsters Local 264. "But these reforms won't mean a thing if the jails continue to be dangerously understaffed. The sheriff has made numerous requests to the County Executive's office to address the staffing issue. Unfortunately, Mr. Collins has refused to deal with the dangerous shortages, leaving us with no alternative but to go to court."

"Best estimates show the holding center is short by 40 sheriff's deputies," said Robert Reden, a founding partner with Reden & O'Donnell, the law firm handling the lawsuit. "That means the county's jails are understaffed by approximately 12 percent on any given day." "The shortage is causing taxpayers to foot the bill for enormous amounts of forced overtime. Some of our deputies are being forced to work 16 hours straight, up to four or five days a week," said Deputy Rick Carr. "We understand that forced shifts are part of the job, but the extreme personnel shortage is taking a toll on working conditions and presents potential safety issues for officers, inmates and the public."

The lawsuit was filed October 12 in New York State Supreme Court