Seven correction officers were injured in two separate incidents at Auburn Correctional Facility earlier this month, including one confrontation in a recreation yard and another in the mess hall, according to the union representing state correction officers.
The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association said both incidents happened Aug. 10 at the maximum-security prison. All seven officers were treated by facility medical staff and remained on duty.
The first incident began during morning recreation when two officers saw two incarcerated individuals fighting on the ground.
According to NYSCOPBA, one stopped when ordered, while the other remained combative and appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
Officers placed the man in body holds and pulled him away before forcing him to the ground. The union said he continued resisting, kicking one officer in the chest and striking another in the face.
As officers struggled to gain control, two additional incarcerated individuals began approaching. A tower officer deployed chemical agents, which stopped them from advancing.
The original individual was eventually handcuffed and became compliant.
Three officers suffered knee, facial and elbow swelling and abrasions. The incarcerated individual was placed in a Special Housing Unit pending disciplinary charges.
The second incident happened during the evening meal after an incarcerated individual entered the meal line carrying a personal food container.
Officers escorted him out of the line for a pat frisk, but the union said he pulled away and resisted when officers attempted to restrain him.
During the struggle, he allegedly kicked one officer in the knee and punched another in the eye before officers forced him to the ground and eventually applied handcuffs.
At the same time, eight other incarcerated individuals in the mess hall began approaching officers while yelling and attempting to incite others, according to NYSCOPBA.
Additional staff were called to the area, and the group stopped advancing.
The involved incarcerated individuals were removed from the mess hall and placed in Special Housing Units pending disciplinary charges.
A later search of their cells recovered what the union described as gang-related materials from one cell.
Four officers were injured in the second incident. One suffered cuts to both hands, while three others sustained knee and facial injuries.
Kenny Gold, NYSCOPBA’s Western Region vice president, said the incidents showed the risks officers face when responding to sudden violence inside the facility.
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