Protest, Petition Opposing County's Armed Deputies For Emergencies

MINEOLA, NY — A protest is scheduled for Monday morning in opposition to Nassau County's plan for armed citizens to assist in emergencies.

The deadline for candidates to apply to become sheriff's deputies ended on Monday.

Patch attempted to reach County Executive Bruce Blakeman, although he told NBC4 over the weekend that at least 80 people applied.

The full-page ad indicated candidates must be skilled in the use of firearms.

"I had a lot of concerns and they were really justified by a number of different police officers and first responders," Nassau Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) told Patch. "They are clearly, very much, against the idea."

That idea would mean law enforcement would supplement if an emergency was declared by Blakeman.

DeRiggi-Whitton praises the Nassau County Police Department and feels confident they can handle any job.

"We have 2,500 police officers. We also have the National Guard, God forbid something terrible happens," DeRiggi-Whitton said.

Aside from that personnel, the county has CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) members who can assist in emergencies where weapons would not be required.

"This is not the direction we should be going in," she said.

Great Neck's Sabine Margolis, who was born in Germany and lived in Iran at the time of the revolution, is also against the new emergency protocols.

She launched a change.org petition titled "Stop Bruce Blakeman’s Personal Nassau County Militia."

"I have quite a few family members who were killed and went to concentration camps without being Jewish, but were still trying to do the right thing and keep democracy alive," Margolis said. "It was always instilled [in] me that you've got to speak up."

According to the job listing, Blakeman and Sheriff Anthony LaRocco are establishing the Provisional Emergency Special Deputy Sheriffs for the "protection of human life and property during an emergency."

But Margolis contemplates the damage it could cause in communities.

"How many more Netflix specials do we need to see about World War II to know this is the same thing?" Margolis said.

"I've had some people tell me it's actually causing them a lot of anxiety," DeRiggi-Whitton said. "It reminds them not only of the Wild West but of times in Europe with uncertainty. There was something called the Brownshirts, which was basically having civilians all of a sudden become part of law enforcement without the training."

The Brownshirts were formed in 1921 as a paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. Members were initially ex-soldiers or unemployed men, theholocaustexplained.org wrote.

DeRiggi-Whitton said the legislature is reviewing the legality of having citizens perform as an arm of law enforcement.

She said this is an "old law that's on the books" allowing the sheriff to deputize people in an emergency, which states they can only get "$3 an hour," a major difference from the $150 per day promised by Blakeman.

"For him to get the funding, he would have to come to the legislature," she said. "He has not done so. He basically forgets that there are separate branches of government sometimes."

Ultimately, the legislator said it's not just about having a pistol license; training is just as important.

"If it's a crowded place and there are young kids, someone is not in uniform and has a gun. It could be a disaster," DeRiggi-Whitton said.