Image of Page 2 of the May 1973 issue of the tabloid-size newsletter COBA News.

The photo and texts on this web page -- relating to such subjects as (1) the CO's role, (2) protecting public pensions, (3) line-of-duty death benefits, and (4) a Cardinal "joins" COBA -- were extracted from Page 2 of the May 1973 issue of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association's tabloid-size newsletter COBA News.

In the early summer of 2010, Errol D. Toulon, a Monroe College professor and retired Correction Academy excutive officer, made available to this website a copy of that issue. [See image of Page 2 at right.]

Toulon also had been a first vice president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association.

From that issue copy, the New York Correction History Society webmaster has created this four-page web presentation of extracted images and texts, one web page for each of the issue's four printed pages.

Near the bottom of each of the presentation's four web pages is a descriptive list of links to all its pages.


By John W. Ackerman
Deputy Warden In Command
Center for Correctional Training

A Correction Officer is many things. Basically, his role is working with inmates.

He ensures that the inmate awakens in the morning, gets up to eat, dresses properly, shaves, showers, and prepare himself for the day’s activities which may mean going to the morning clinic for medication or to see the doctor. goes out promptly to court, district attorney, hospital, school, social service, recreation, barber, commissary, library, arts and crafts, group counseling, job counseling, or his work assignment.

Leo C. Zeferetti

Every city and state employee knows how important his pension benefits are. Over the years we have fought to make these pension benefits something we can live for, not just something to die with. We are just beginning to see the dawn of a day when retired public employees will be able to live in decency and dignity on their pensions, in well-earned retirement.

Big business interests have been worried about this. Their worry is based on the fear that public pensions may set the pace for private pensions, just as vacations were pioneered by public employees. But let’s be clear about this: Vacations and pensions were and have been often extended to public employees to offset lower wage levels for public jobs. As unionism became strong among public employees, the unions have been fighting for wage and other improvements to make it possible for public employees to live decently. The fight goes on, as long as prices keep outrunning wages.

The Kinzel Commission’s plan was designed, in the words of its chairman, to make the pensions of public employees more in line with those ot private employees. The idiocy of this becomes plain when you see what’s happening to workers who are covered under private pension plans. If Mr. Kinzel doesn’t know, let him ask Senator Javits, who has been an active member of a United States Senate Committee that has been conducting an investigation of private pension plans. This Senate Commitee has learned that several million workers “covered” under these private plans have been victims of a cruel hoax. They find that their pensions disappear when they become eligible for payments, that employers find excuses to knock them off their pension rights as soon as they are ready to retire.

If you think we’re exaggerating, just examine the proposal the Kinzel Commission has come up with. This proposal wants to include social security payments in the pension paid by the city or state. Back in 1957, when the Legislature approved putting city and state employees under social security, it was stipulated that social security payments be in addition to city and state pensions. If this Kinzel proposal isn’t dishonest, then Jack The Ripper was a law-abiding citizen.

Or how about their other proposal, to reduce the pension base to the social security base. Your pension will be reduced by the amount of social security you receive, even though you paid one-half the cost of your social security. We think it’s criminal to reduce income at a time of steadily rising prices.

This “taxpayer’s lobby” isn’t just kidding around. Their basic purpose it to cut union strength among public employees. The pension proposal is only the first step. If they get away with this, they will go on to step two. They have already dealt a severe blow to our right to strike. They figured if they took away this weapon, it would be easier to take care of us in the future.

We have shown them that unionism means strength, that no matter what they try, they will have to deal with the power of united workers. They are beginning to feel the heat of our power. We must not let up now. The fight must be won.

The officer follows through all day to see that the inmate meets his scheduled appointments, including visits with his family, lawyer, or volunteer workers.

The officer sees that the inmate receives his mail, proper clothing and bedding, towels, soap and toilet articles and other personal needs.

He sees that the quadrant or cellblock television is working properly and no fights ensue about which program to watch.

He patrols the area to see that security is observed, that fights don’t break out, and that inmates do not molest or steal each other’s commissary.

He loooks out for the sick and isturbed -- suicide prevention is a crucial part of his job. He must make referrals whenever observing anything unusual about an inmate’s behavior.

He must see that the physical plant is properly maintained -- broken fixtures repaired, equipment and doors in proper working order and sanitation completed.

A Correction Officer may also be a specialist. He may drive a prison van, operate a bulldozer, or serve as a lawyer for the department.

He is assigned as a public relations man, secretary, typist, carpenter, electrician, architect, landscaper, printer, analyst, researcher, teacher, principal, half-way house director, librarian, social worker, recreation director, storekeeper, laundryman, butcher, computer operator and instructor — you name it he does it.

The skills of the Correction Officer are virtually unlimited.

He works around the clock, seven days a week and must accept an additional tour each others commissary. He looks out br the sick and the disturbed — suicide prevention is a crucial part of his job.

He must make referrals whenever observing anything unusual about an inmate’s behavior.

He must see that the physical plant is properly maintained broken fixtures repaired, equipment and doors in proper working order and sanitation completed.

A Correction Officer may also be a specialist. He may drive a prison van, operate a bulldozer, or serve as a lawyer for the department.

He is assigned as a public relations man, secretary, typist, carpenter, electrician, architect, landscaper, printer, analyst, researcher, teacher, principal, half-way house director, librarian, social worker, recreation director, storekeeper, laundryman, butcher, computer operator and instructor — you name it he does it.

The skills of the Correction Officer are virtually unlimited.

He works around the clock, seven days a week and must accept an additional tour of eight hours if his relief man fails to show up. He is called upon frequently to work overtime for hospital runs, special trips to courts or district attorneys, emergency frisks, special events, inmate shows, inmate uprisings, staff shortages, unusual occurrence reports and inmate arrests.

He can never be guaranteed a weekend off in advance nor a holiday home with his family. Holidays are also time for inmate festivities in a prison — special shows and recreation periods are pro- vided.

Terence Cardinal Cooke of New York and COBA President Leo Zeferetti hold a COBA membership card and miniature shield as Cardinal Cooke is inducted into COBA as an honorary member. Looking on are COBA Vice President Harold Brown and Reverend Father Charles Repole.
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The inmate is the officer’s livelihood and receives his primary attention.

The prison is also reflective of what is happening in the streets.

Even more so, as we are the recipients of its failures and the concentration of its malcontents.

The police officer makes the arrest and gets the offender out of sight.

We must live with the offender and in some small way effect a change in his behavior pattern.

Sometimes the inmate is reached through education -- counseling may make him aware of his own needs -- other times solely through decent treatment and understanding on the part of the Correction Officer.

The Correction Officer must also guard against being manipulated by the inmate.

Kindness is too often regarded by the hard core, long-term inmate as a sign of weakness. The Correction Officer, in spite of this, never stops trying.


Members of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association are being urged to write to their Congressmen and Senators to win support of a bill providing $50,000 to survivors of Correction Officers, Poliecemen and Firemen killed in the line of duty.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mario Biaggi (D-C-R NY),calls for $25,000 to be paid to the widow and $25,000 to be distributed among any children under 18 years old or older offspring "incapable of self-support because of physical or mental disability."

Full payment would be made to the widow if there were no children and in similar fashion payment would be made equally among children if they had no mother. If a slain officer had no wife or children, payment would be to his parents if they were dependent on him for support.

The measure was introduced by Biaggi as an amendment to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.

The Correction Officer bears the brunt of a successful suicide in the newspaper headlines.

Nothing is mentioned of the inmate brought back to life through prompt first-aid after suffering a heart stoppage.

Nor does the offler receive acclaim when he disarms an inmate bent on taking his own life or that of a cellmate.

Daily acts of bravery go unheralded.

Dollar for dollar and in every sense of the word productivity, the Correction Officer in the New York City Department of Correction has a performance record equaled by few.

Not many people would care to face the problems and personal confrontations, unarmed, as the Correction Officer must in carrying out his duties each day — often outnumbered 100 to 1 and more.

We are proud of our Department and the kind of job our Correction Officers are doing. They are justified in walking tall.



WEBMASTER NOTES: Former Rikers Island chaplain Fr. Charles Repole, long-time friend to DOC staffers and affiliated groups appears in the above photo of COBA leaders with Cardinal Cooke. Elsewhere on this website can be accessed another photo of Fr. Repole with DOC union leaders. Off-site, Page 5 of the CCA's Captain's Quarterly, Fall 2003 issue features a photo and story on Fr. Repole celebrating at Sacred Heart Catholic Churh, Yonkers, his 60th year as a Capuchin priest.

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This is Page 2 of the New York Correction History Society's web presentation of the image and texts extracted from the May 1973 issue of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association's tabloid-size newsletter COBA News. Links to all 4 pages of the presentation -- each based on its corresponding page in the printed newsletter -- are listed below:


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