Yesterday we shared the story of the three female Westchester County Corrections Officers who testified before the County Legislators Public Safety Committee on the dangers and Harassment of female officers by inmates. Since then, we received a few phone calls from many who couldn’t believe and didn’t know this was taking place
As part of our follow up we reached out to the District Attorney Mimi Rocah who brings a critical perspective to this issue, having not only served as a prosecutor for 16 years, but also having had a family member be victimized by sexual violence – a family member who reported the attack to the police, but never got justice because it was never investigated or prosecuted. She knows that the old-line thinking around sexual assault is not only inaccurate, it’s harmful to victims and leaves dangerous criminals out on the street.
Knowing that is her position, we reached out to get a quote on what these three female COs testified about.
“The District Attorney’s Office first became aware of the specific allegations discussed by the female Westchester County Jail Corrections Officers upon viewing video of the Board of Legislators Public Safety Committee Meeting that took place on April 5, 2022,” DA Rocah shared with Black Westchester. “Our Office takes these very concerning allegations and all other allegations of criminal conduct seriously, and we are working with our law enforcement partners to investigate these matters. In addition to addressing criminal allegations that are brought to us from the Department of Corrections through the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the District Attorney’s Office also investigates complaints that are reported to us directly. Crime victims are encouraged to contact the District Attorney’s Office directly at 914-995-TIPS or by filing a complaint form. The District Attorney’s Office reviews all allegations and will seek criminal charges where appropriate, based on the facts and the laws of the State of New York.”
Black Westchester broke this story because, female Correctional Officers are faced on a daily basis with the possibility of sexual harassment. When working in a male facility, women are in very close quarters with sexually deprived offenders, including sexual offenders. It’s disturbing female correction officers have to face being harassed and sexually assaulted while on the job. The lack of accountability for these horrific crimes committed behind bars is a stark reflection of just how broken our criminal justice system is!
Stay tuned to Black Westchester for more on this developing story!
