A series of violent incidents at Five Points Correctional Facility has left multiple staff members injured and raised urgent concerns about officer safety within New York’s prison system.
Over a span of several weeks, officers at the maximum-security facility in Romulus endured two brutal inmate assaults, multiple inmate fights, the discovery of a hidden weapon, and an attack involving bodily fluids. A National Guardsman was among those injured in the chaos.
On July 2, an inmate in the Residential Mental Health Unit threw urine and feces at two officers delivering food trays. One officer was hit in the face, eyes, and mouth and was taken to Geneva General Hospital for treatment. Medical staff deemed the exposure “significant.” A second officer struck in the incident remained on duty.
That same day, a ceramic razor was discovered in another inmate’s pocket after he failed to return a plastic spork in the mess hall. The weapon was seized and the inmate faces disciplinary charges.
Tensions continued to rise on July 5 when two separate fights broke out between inmates in the mess hall. Officers used body holds and OC spray—although the spray was ineffective in one case—to subdue the inmates, who were eventually handcuffed and removed.
Later that day, officers and a National Guardsman used force on an inmate who refused to return to his cell. The inmate grew aggressive and attempted to incite others before he was restrained and removed. No injuries were reported in that encounter.
“These are common occurrences that the men and women that work inside the prisons are subjected to,” said Kenny Gold, NYSCOPBA Western Region Vice President. “Daily assaults at the hands of inmates… leave officers out of work for several days or months.”
In a separate incident on June 16, two officers were conducting a routine inmate count when they encountered a cell with a covered window and an unresponsive inmate. When they entered the cell, the inmate attacked, striking one officer in the face and another in the forehead. The inmate later placed one officer in a chokehold before additional staff intervened.
One officer broke his arm and wrist and is now out of work. A third officer injured his wrist during the struggle.
Less than three weeks later, on July 6, a sergeant was interviewing an inmate who became aggressive and grabbed the sergeant’s throat. The inmate was subdued and placed in a Special Housing Unit. The sergeant, two officers, and a National Guardsman suffered injuries in the confrontation but remained on duty.
The inmates involved are serving lengthy sentences—20 years for kidnapping and assault, and 15 years for robbery.
“These are daily duties of the men and women that work inside the prisons of our state,” Gold said. “What also have become daily occurrences are the onslaught of attacks by the incarcerated that live there.”
Gold said more than 900 employees have been assaulted in New York prisons so far in 2025, warning that such violence threatens staffing and overall safety.
“No officer or sergeant deserves to become a punching bag,” he said.
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