New York State Police Back Bill for Paid Time Off Following 'Critical Incidents'

ALBANY, NY — Lawmakers stood with leaders of the union representing state troopers on Wednesday to push for legislation that would provide more time off for State Police members who are involved in fatal shootings or other incidents that can trigger an emotional toll.

The legislative push comes after a recent spate of "critical incidents" — defined in the legislation as any action taken by a State Police officer that results in someone's serious injury or death. Troopers shot and killed a 69-year-old man earlier this month after he drove into the parking lot of a State Police barracks in Malta and opened fire on the building. Three more officer-involved shootings were reported the same week, two of which were fatal.

In cases like these, state Sen. Jeremy Cooney said, the troopers involved are often expected to return to work the day after the incident.

"Just because a trooper may be justified in using that force doesn't mean that they aren't experiencing a hardship as a result of that crisis," said Cooney, a Rochester Democrat sponsoring the bill in the state Senate. "So many of these incidents are happening more and more across New York. Currently, in New York state, we have no uniform policy to assist troopers who are undertaking or experiencing these critical incidents."

Cooney's legislation would give 30 days of paid leave to any member of the State Police who causes a person's serious injury or death on the job. Troopers that are involved in a critical incident but do not cause the injury or death would get 15 days of paid leave under the new law.

At Wednesday's news conference at the Capitol, supporters were quick to stress that the paid leave is not vacation time, but a dedicated period for troopers to process trauma with therapists and peers. Advocates framed it as a means of reducing workplace burnout, as well as a recruitment tool for an agency that's struggled to retain members.

"If an individual in the workforce, no matter how they are trained, has been engaged in a terrible tragedy, they will be impacted," said Glenn Liebman, the CEO of the Mental Health Association in New York State. "It may take days or even weeks to comprehend and understand the trauma. It can manifest itself in many different ways — lack of sleep, depression, isolation, even suicidal thoughts."

Troopers, Liebman argued, should not have to manage that trauma "in real time" while they're back on the job.

Richard Albert, who was named New York's 2024 Trooper of the Year after he was shot by a speeding driver during a traffic stop, said the incident left him with a range of feelings, among them, "anxiety, fear, depression, disbelief, guilt, PTSD, numbness, hypervigilance." He also noted that the same kinds of critical incidents might have vastly different emotional impacts on different troopers.

Last year, many of the more than 6,000 people employed by the State Police reported low morale in an internal survey. Sixty percent of respondents said that morale was not good in the agency, with another 22% remaining neutral on the issue. Employees also raised concerns about the safety of the agency's vehicle fleet, with more than 30% of survey respondents saying they disagreed that the agency was concerned for their safety.

Trooper responsibilities have also increased in recent months, according to Trooper Charles W. Murphy, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers, as the agency has been tasked with patrolling city subways, augmenting security at state prisons and increasing their presence along the Canadian border.

_____________

Visit www.timesunion.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.