Residents urge Ogdensburg council to support Riverview correctional staff as state prison crisis continues
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Summary
Multiple residents, many with family members who work at Riverview Correctional Facility, urged the council to support correctional officers and petition state officials amid reported dangerous conditions and staffing crises. Council members said they will work through a county task force and state representatives.
Dozens of residents and family members of correctional officers addressed council about conditions at Riverview Correctional Facility and the wider state corrections crisis, asking Ogdensburg leaders to help press state officials for improved safety and staffing.
Speakers included former and current corrections employees, spouses of officers and community advocates. Seth Sawyer, who identified himself as having worked in corrections, described the emotional toll on staff and called for renewed pride and respect for the profession. "We need all the support we can get from anybody and everyone," Sawyer said, adding that those inside "want us to hold the line." Several spouses said officers have been working prolonged, dangerous shifts and that families are deeply affected by the stress and uncertainty.
Ashley Marshall said her husband had been on active duty and described the fear she felt when he left for work during the recent unrest: "The look of utter disbelief and despair on his face is something I will never forget and never want to see again." Megan Congleton, a former DOCS employee and spouse of a sergeant at Riverview, said officers and civilian staff "will never be the same after this" and urged continued community support.
Speakers asked council to adopt or support a resolution backing correctional staff and to contact state officials. Council members said they support safer conditions and described ongoing, behind-the-scenes work through a Saint Lawrence County Correctional Facilities Task Force that includes city representatives and state lawmakers. Council said a meeting of the county task force is expected to be scheduled soon and that local representatives, including Assemblyman Scott Gray and Senator Mark Walzick, have been engaged in outreach to the state.
Council members emphasized coordination with county and state officials rather than immediate unilateral city action; they said task-force work and legislative outreach may yield a stronger, coordinated push to state decisionmakers. Council expressed sympathy for staff and families and thanked speakers for their testimony.
