Nassau County's armed citizen 'militia' plan spurs uproar
Amid a swell of fear about a supplemental police force being convened by the Nassau County executive, experts say the confluence of armed members without intensive training is particularly concerning.a public notice announcing that he will deputize a group of pistol license holders to protect “human life and property” during unspecified emergencies.
They are often deployed to supplement regular police departments for specific tasks or at special events, such as parades. Their training varies, as does payment and whether they are armed. Participants of the NYPD’sare not armed. Reserve police officers in Washington D.C. do carry guns, but they also go through the same training as other officers.
In addition to the possession of a pistol license, the requirements for the new deputies are that they must live or own property in Nassau, have college experience, be aged 21 to 72 with “no alcohol or drug issues” in the prior five years. But Nassau County already has a 2,500-member police department in addition to the sheriff’s department that’s overseeing this new force, and it is far from rural. And “anytime you’re talking about having volunteers performing law enforcement functions without a full scope of training, I think that’s concerning and problematic,” he said.
Blakeman’s spokesperson did not answer questions about why the auxiliary force is needed when Nassau already has such a large police force. He also did not say whether the provisional sheriff deputies would use their own firearms, what guidelines they will operate under, and how much vetting they will get. The spokesperson did not say what kinds of specific emergencies the force would be called in for, or how much the program will cost.
“This is essentially how despots operate,” he said. “They get their own private force that has the ability to use threats and threats of force so that they can remain in control.”
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