Lengthy Island lawmakers have sued Nassau County Govt Bruce Blakeman and a neighborhood sheriff over a program sanctioning a taxpayer-funded militia of armed civilians shrouded “in secrecy.”
The swimsuit challenges the legality of the “special deputy sheriffs” program introduced in March 2024 to public outcry by Blakeman, which authorizes the activation of “minimally trained, unregistered private civilians to act as special sheriff’s deputies with authority to use deadly force and make arrests under color of law” if Blakeman declares an emergency.
The swimsuit, filed Tuesday by Democratic members of the Nassau County Legislature’s Public Security Committee, Debra Mulé and Scott Davis, alleges that Blakeman — a outstanding Republican and ally of President Trump — and Nassau County Sheriff Anthony LaRocco have stonewalled their requests for primary details about this system’s growth and withheld particulars of the way it’s being funded of their 2025 finances proposal to the native legislature.
In a press release Wednesday, one in all their attorneys, civil rights lawyer Carey Dunne, mentioned permitting native leaders to arm civilians and grant them police powers might have nationwide implications.
“County Executive Blakeman’s militia endangers public safety in Nassau County and the health of our democracy nationwide,” Dunne mentioned. “Our lawsuit alleges an authoritarian power grab in the heart of suburban America, where a handpicked group of armed vigilantes operates secretly at the beck and call of an unchecked executive.”
One request for data denied by Blakeman and LaRocco final 12 months sought particulars about what coaching the militia members — paid $150 day by day stipends — had been present process, the place they had been receiving it, who was conducting the coaching, what number of hours had been required, and the way a lot it was all costing New York taxpayers, based on the lawsuit.
The swimsuit says the militias are unlawful below New York regulation, which, in emergencies, permits native police departments to enlist officers from municipalities’ regulation enforcement businesses, and questions the necessity for civilian paramilitaries when Nassau County — ranked final 12 months because the most secure county within the U.S. — has a police division with 2,500 members, a whole bunch of unarmed civilian volunteers, and the power to request help from 60,000 registered officers statewide.
“Defendants have not publicly explained how a group of less than 100 armed civilians would materially aid the thousands of trained, registered, sworn, and armed police and peace officers available to meet the needs of Nassau County residents in the event of an emergency,” the swimsuit filed in Nassau County Supreme Court docket reads.
The swimsuit seeks a courtroom order discovering Blakeman and LaRocco’s creation of the civilian militia with taxpayer funds unlawful, an order barring them from persevering with to make use of public funds and assets to deputize personal residents, and a directive they reply totally to an impressive Freedom of Info Legislation request, which additionally seeks data on what weapons recruits are being armed with.
ICE Enforcement and Removing Operations (ERO) make arrests as a part of Operation Cross Verify. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
The swimsuit was introduced on the identical day Blakeman introduced a never-before-seen initiative that may see 10 Nassau County detectives associate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement to assist perform Trump’s mass deportations.
At a press convention Tuesday, Blakeman and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder refused to rule out that native detectives “working on behalf of ICE” wouldn’t goal undocumented immigrants who haven’t been accused of violent crimes. The Trump administration has made clear it regards anybody within the U.S. with out documentation to be a legal.
At a press convention Wednesday asserting the swimsuit, Seth Koslow, a Democrat who plans to problem Blakeman within the basic election in November, mentioned that though Blakeman denied the militias can be concerned within the ICE partnership, it was not possible to verify given the dearth of transparency.
“I don’t believe when he says he won’t use them. I’m concerned he will activate them and declare an emergency where an emergency doesn’t exist,” Koslow mentioned. “He’s already said he can use the militia for protests or for anything he deems to be an emergency. We don’t know what he wants to do. We don’t know what they’re trained to handle because he hasn’t told us.”
Initially Printed: February 5, 2025 at 4:41 PM EST
