This Bill Could Save Correctional Officers’ Lives
February 13, 2015
Categories:
BOP
A critical bill has been introduced in the Senate, and its passage could mean life or death for Bureau of Prisons officers.
The bill, S. 368, would allow officers to carry their personal firearms while they commute to-and-from work by requiring wardens of BOP-operated institutions to provide a secure storage area located outside of the secure perimeter of those institutions. This bill is critical for protecting the lives of our officers following the murder of Lt. Osvaldo Albarati, an AFGE member who was gunned down two years ago this month while driving home from work. It is believed he was murdered because of his work to end a cellphone smuggling ring at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The bill is named after Lt. Albarati.
“Providing correctional officers a safe place to store their weapon is a crucial safety measure,” said AFGE President J. David Cox Sr. “Every day, these men and women work in a dangerous environment to keep the rest of us safe. It is common sense to allow them to carry firearms with them on their daily commute.”
"We are those who protect America inside our nation's prisons. Those who are in a position and can make this happen should be protecting us," said Eric Young, president of the AFGE Council of Prisons Locals.
The bill was introduced by Sens. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
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