(The Center Square) — A New York Republican county executive is being sued over a move to deputize citizens for law-enforcement efforts, with Democrats arguing that it amounts to an “illegal militia.”
The lawsuit, filed by a pair of Democratic county legislators, argues that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and county Sheriff Anthony LaRocco’s move to deputize private citizens as provisional sheriff’s deputies violates the law. It calls on a state judge to declare the program illegal and block the county from using taxpayer dollars to pay for it.
“The county is not allowed to hand badges to private citizens, pronounce them to be members of law enforcement and authorize them to wield force on behalf of the government,” the complaint states.
Last March, Blakeman and LaRocco unveiled the program to screen and train legally armed Nassau residents as “provisional emergency special deputy sheriffs” to assist police during an emergency declaration. He said the armed deputies would be required to be licensed gun owners, complete at least 12 hours of instruction and practice on a firing range.
The move drew immediate backlash from Democrats and civil liberties groups, who compared it to authoritarianism. Blakeman dismissed the criticism as politically motivated and argued that the program would provide “another layer of protection” for the county during emergencies.
In court filings, lawyers for legislators Debra Mulé and Scott Davis blasted Blakeman’s corps as “an authoritarian power grab in the heart of suburban America” that jeopardizes public safety and wastes taxpayer dollars.
“Authorizing minimally trained private citizens to wield force on behalf of the government — and during an emergency no less — poses clear and obvious safety risks,” the lawyers wrote in the lawsuit.
They argue that the county lacks the power to create such a program—which they described as an “illegal taxpayer-funded militia”—and cannot allocate taxpayer money without legislative approval.
But Blakeman has fired back at the criticism, dismissing the legal challenge as “frivolous” and accusing the Democratic lawmakers of unfairly comparing the volunteer deputies to fascists.
“Debra Mulé and Scott Davis are a disgrace for bringing this frivolous action and defaming the volunteers, many of whom are retired military and law enforcement, who have agreed to pitch in in the event of an emergency,” he said in a statement to news outlets.
