Cites Ammo Theft: Union
No More Cons As Court Custodians

By REUVEN BLAU

The union representing Court Officers is urging the Office of Court Administration to stop giving ex-cons custodial jobs inside courthouses, citing the conviction of a janitor caught stealing bullets and a bullet-proof vest from an officer's locker.

DENNIS QUIRK: Unsuitable workplace.

"This is a dangerous situation," contended Dennis W. Quirk, president of the Court Officers' Association, during a phone interview last week. "There have been numerous other situations; not only have they stolen stuff, but they have the ability to sneak in weapons."

OCA: A One-Time Thing

Thom Lotito, OCA's Coordinator of Court Facilities Management, maintained that there has only been "one documented instance, and that was last year." He was referring to the custodian who was convicted of stealing two 9-millimeter ammunition magazines from a Court Officer's locker. "The other custodians turned him in," Mr. Lotito pointed out.

The janitors work for the Center for Employment Opportunities' Neighborhood Work Project. There are currently 70 custodians working in 27 metropolitan courthouses, Mr. Lotito said.

Mr. Quirk charged the situation is "like a ticking time bomb." He argued that the parolees can get access to their criminal records. "We are not a social agency," he asserted. "I believe people should be given some help to [re-acclimate] to society, but put them out cleaning parks. They don't belong in a secure courthouse."

He cited the Sept. 21 theft of Bronx Supreme Court Justice John Collins's laptop. The computer was stolen from his closed chambers, according to authorities. "That's still being investigated by the NYPD," Mr. Lotito noted. "[Custodians] do not have keys to chambers. They clean in public areas."

Key Safeguard

OCA is careful not to assign the custodians to courts where they were sentenced, Mr. Lotito pointed out, "so they don't run into the judge that may have sentenced them," he said.

Approximately 5,000 parolees have worked in the program since it was initiated over 10 years ago, according to Mr. Lotito. "They are convicted felons out of jail trying to get a new lease on life," he said.

Mr. Quirk countered, "They don't belong in a courthouse. We've complained about it since Day One."