Still facing a stubborn staffing crunch, the New York City Department of Correction will require officers to work mandatory 12-hour tours in a number of city jails, a move immediately criticized by their union.
The department last went to 12-hour tours during the 2021 and 2022 staffing crisis when hundreds of officers went sick following the pandemic. The policy was lifted in the spring of 2022.
“The department is actively exploring different scheduling strategies to address staffing challenges while improving the work-life balance for our dedicated staff,” DOC press secretary Annais Morales said this week. “These efforts aim to ensure effective operational coverage while alleviating workload pressures, reinforcing the department’s commitment to both staff well-being and the individuals in our care.”
Benny Boscio, president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, said the move was hastily assembled without a “coherent plan that would get officers relieved from their posts.”
“COBA absolutely DOES NOT support this pilot program because it is rushed and lacks the proper preparation to actually get officers relieved on time,” he said, emphasis his.
Boscio laid responsibility for the plan at the feet of Senior Deputy Commissioner Fritz Frage, DOC’s No. 3 official, hired in November. Frage was previously the director of public safety overseeing the police and fire departments in Newark, N.J.
“While we share the mutual goal of improving the quality of life for all officers, this is not the way to achieve that goal,” Boscio said.
Frage presided in Newark during a period its police department was under oversight by a federal monitor, much like the current situation in New York City’s jails.
The Daily News learned of the move on Wednesday, the day that detainee Ramel Powell, 37, died in the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island. But officials said the new initiative was unrelated to Powell’s death, the city’s first reported jail fatality in 2025.
“Our initiatives to improve scheduling and staffing practices began prior to the tragic passing of Mr. Powell,” Morales said. “While his loss is deeply felt, the department continues to seek the best methods to care for both persons in custody and our staff.”
The staffing shortage has been attributed to waves of retirements and resignations and a struggle to attract new officers amid negative criticism of the agency.
From a high of 10,800 officers on average in 2017, the agency’s uniformed headcount had dropped as of December 2024 to 6,004. Meanwhile, the jail population has steadily crept upward since plunging below 4,000 for a short period during the early months of the COVID pandemic.
In 2023, the jail population was 5,873. As of this Feb 10, the Board of Correction said, the total headcount was 6,784 — a 15.5% increase.
Then-Correction Commissioner Louis Molina predicted in February 2023 the population would rise above 7,000 in 2024. He was roundly criticized for the prediction amid calls for the city to do more to lower the jail population.
The circumstances around Powell’s death remain under investigation by several oversight agencies and DOC. His cause of death still has not been officially determined, though a drug overdose is suspected.
