GOP-led county neighboring NYC to deputize private citizens; Dems blast 'militia initiative'

Fox News ^ | 4/10/24 | Michael Ruiz

[Libloather]

The Republican leader of a suburb bordering New York City has Democrats up in arms over a plan to deputize private citizens for emergency situations.

County Executive Bruce Blakeman has continued to irk opponents on the issues of crime and women's rights as he seeks to wrestle control of the state capital and give his constituents a greater say in local policy.

I don't think you can depend on Albany or Washington, D.C., because they're more interested in giving away billions of dollars to migrants who are unvetted and bringing them to our communities than they are in protecting our communities. So, that's part of the thought process in my mind. … We need a group of citizens who are already trained, who already had experience in police departments and in the military and have them on reserve in the event that there would be a serious emergency. — Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman

Lawmakers opposing the plan are calling it a "militia," drawing comparisons to Nazi "brownshirts" and held a rally outside the executive's office calling on him to halt the proposal.

"I think it's completely disgraceful, first of all as a Jewish elected official, to insinuate that I would be associated with anything that represented the Nazi regime, especially stormtroopers," Blakeman told Fox News Digital. "It is absolutely reprehensible."

While Democratic critics of the plan are alleging the provisional deputies could be used to quell Black Lives Matter or pro-Palestinian protests, Blakeman said all he's done is create a database of potential volunteers to assist when county police are overwhelmed.

"Its just left-wing, woke, progressive stuff," Blakeman said. "They claim now that they like the police, but these are the same people who wanted to defund the police."

[njslim]

I just want the badge.

BAGGES ? We dont need no stinkin badges .......

[Ex-Con777]

>Isn’t every deputy a private citizen before being deputized?<

Yep. And still a private citizen afterwards too.

EC

[dljordan]

“like it’s something new, they’re called Auxiliaries...”

My Dad was one in Nashville back in the 50s.

[zeugma]

“Doing their job” is usually doing the will of the local mayor and to keep their pensions, not uphold the law.

Exactly. We weren't asleep during the covid scamademic.

[Chode]

yup, mine too, 60s-70s...

[Eagles6]

The left hates everything good.

Remember all the bad press thrown at the Redneck Navy, during Katrina and subsequent weather events?

Bunch of Crackers, organizing and using their own equipment and fuel to rescue and help strangers.