Ogdensburg correctional officers ordered to new assignments next month

OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) - We’re learning that 50 correctional officers from the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility will need to report for their new assignments on December 16, just nine days before Christmas.

State Sen. Patty Ritchie said in a statement, “For many, this undoubtedly means uprooting their families and leaving the community they love, right in the middle of the holiday season.”

In the statement, Ritchie took Gov. Kathy Hochul to task. Hochul ordered the prison closed earlier this month.

“I, and many others in our community, have a question for her – is closing Ogdensburg Correctional Facility and ripping 268 jobs out of our community ‘fighting like hell’ for us?”

Hochul had pledged to “fight like hell” for New Yorkers when she took office in August.

“When I heard news of this, I was reminded of when the former governor, last year, callously announced the closure of Watertown Correctional Facility just three days before Christmas,” Ritchie said. “I didn’t think it was possible for someone to be more cruel than that, but unfortunately, Governor Hochul has demonstrated she’s capable of it.”

The prison is set to close officially in March.