In his first report to the county public safety committee on Jan. 19, new sheriff Paul Arteta said he wanted to pull back deputies on various task forces to beef up county operations.
“So much worry about taking care of the business of other agencies, specifically the federal agencies,” he said. “We are bringing our people back, and we are going to take care of Orange County first.”
So far, seven task force investigators have been called back to the office, including one deputy who had worked full time on the Nonfatal Shooting Task Force in Newburgh for years.
“We will still back them up and help them, but I cannot have my investigator there, taxing Orange County taxpayers for one place,” he said. “They need to hire their own.”
“I have nothing against them, but I need manpower.”
Undersheriff Wilfredo Garcia said the manpower could be used to beef up narcotics and white-collar crime investigations as well as assist local law enforcement agencies as needed.
He noted that Middletown had seen an uptick in shootings lately.
Arteta also plans to boost patrols through job reassignments.
“I have 26 uniformed deputies for three different [shifts,]” he said. “That is not working. That’s why we have neglected the parks.”
Reconsidering the ICE Contract
Arteta said his office is evaluating its contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house illegal immigrant prisoners.Orange is the only county in the greater New York City metro area with such a contract.
At the end of December 2022, the county jail had a population of 300, including 54 ICE detainees.
In 2022, the ICE contract brought in $5.8 million for the county, but the costs of servicing the contract could be even higher, Arteta said.
Associated costs include staff overtime, officer injuries, legal fees resulting from complaints and lawsuits from ICE prisoners, and prescription medication expenses.
“We are crunching the numbers,” he said. “It may be more beneficial to remove all the ICE prisoners due to the costs.”
Bodycams for Correctional Officers
At the committee meeting, Arteta also advocated for equipping correctional officers with bodycams to deter assaults from inmates.Due to staffing shortages, jail officers do overtime and are often tired at work, a situation that has been taken advantage of by some inmates, he said.
“They wait to catch you in a weak moment,” Arteta said. “And there is not a lot we can do as far as punishment because of the HALT act.”
Formerly called the Humane Alternative to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, the 2021 law puts more restrictions on the length and conditions of solitary confinement.
Bodycams could deter some inmates from doing wrong. Plus, they could also potentially reduce frivolous lawsuits against correctional officers, he said.
He invited county legislators to tour the jail to better understand the needs.
