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Rensselaer County Legislature urges repeal of New York’s HALT Act after officers’ testimony
Summary
After testimony from corrections personnel and a contested amendment, the Rensselaer County Legislature voted 14–0 with two abstentions to adopt an amended resolution urging Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature to repeal the HALT Act and to oppose Executive Order No. 47.3.
The Rensselaer County Legislature adopted an amended resolution on March 11, 2025 urging Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature to repeal the HALT Act and opposing Executive Order No. 47.3, after a retired corrections sergeant and several legislators described rising violence and staffing problems in state correctional facilities.
Andy Lashwell, a retired sergeant with the New York State Department of Corrections who addressed the legislature during public comment, said the HALT Act “has created policies that weaken the infrastructure of New York State correctional facilities” and attributed a rise in assaults to those changes. “In 2024, there were over 2,000 inmate‑on‑staff assaults… That’s around 6 every day for 365 days,” Lashwell said, urging repeal of the…
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