New York Governor Kathy Hochul turned down President Trump’s offer to send National Guard troops to the Big Apple to assist the NYPD in crime reduction. Many of her critics were quick to offer their rationale behind why she should have given the offer her full attention. New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (R-NY 19TH) is among those who think New York should have accepted the National Guard’s help. Appearing on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to explain why, she then described her plan to give the Feds something they could use for law enforcement: Riker’s Island.
Paladino told host Larry Mendte she is working on plans to pitch to the federal government about how they can use the prison facilities- which many in city government are trying to close- for other forms of law enforcement. “I actually have something going on right now that I’m sending to Washington, and it’s about federalizing the City Corrections Facility, which is at Riker’s Island. It goes into great detail. It’s several pages long and it’s really what we need to do. Riker’s Island could be a campus to provide federal agencies like ICE, the FBI, and even the U.S. military with secure, isolated large-scale campus. It’s huge; Riker’s Island can be put to very, very, very good use.”
Paladino says the details can be hammered out, but the prison complex could be better off in the government’s hands than in commercial use. “That property, we had realtors looking at that property. That’s prime real estate to build luxury housing and all. This is a couple of years back, so I would say there’s a process, but it’s a process that the federal government can navigate and figure out how to take it over.”
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