Leaders of two court officer unions hope to appeal to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's drive for fiscal responsibility in the coming months as his administration crafts its executive budget.

They want somebody—anybody—to take a closer look at how the state's court system is spending the roughly $3 billion allocated to it through the state budget each year, saying more could be done with the same amount.

“They think because they're a separate branch of government they can do whatever they want,” said Dennis Quirk, president of the New York Court Officers Association.

They're hoping someone will find a way for the Office of Court Administration to manage funds differently to allow the hiring of an additional 250 to 400 court officers. They've lost 350 of those officers in the past four years, Quirk said.

A spokesman from the OCA said they're working to add more court officers to the system in the coming months. A new class is scheduled to graduate in December and another is scheduled to begin in January.

But union leaders argued the problem is greater than the short term. They alleged the court system has been mismanaging funds for years and they want someone outside the system to confirm their claims.

They're open to a slew of options to reign in spending by the state's judiciary. They sent a letter to Cuomo last month asking him to investigate how OCA “conducts business.” Cuomo could possibly appoint a special investigator to probe the court system, though that move would most likely be unprecedented.

Then there's State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who is typically responsible for auditing state entities. Pat Cullen, president of the New York State Supreme Court Officers Association, said an audit of the OCA could help them make their case to Cuomo and state lawmakers for more oversight.

“We would welcome any audit like that, that the comptroller can conduct so that way we can have a foundation and understanding and figure out another way for the oversight and accountability the public deserves from the judicial branch of government,” Cullen said.

The state comptroller's office last audited the OCA in 2015, but that inquiry was specific to Brooklyn. Cullen wants the office to perform a broader investigation into how funds are handled within the entirety of the OCA.

A third option would be for the Legislature to approve a bill that establishes more oversight over the judiciary, or at least appoints someone to review the way money is spent within the court system. Last month they called for an independent commission to oversee the OCA after a lawsuit alleged a cover-up of sexual harassment allegations.

Cullen said they have not spoken to state lawmakers about passing such a bill, but that they would welcome those conversations leading up to next year's legislative session, which begins in January.

“I'm more than interested in talking to anyone who could help with this,” Cullen said.”There are always people who are willing to audit an agency, and the fact that it's a separate branch of government does not make it immune to oversight.”

A spokesman for the Office of Court Administration said they are already well on their way to adding more court officers to the ranks. There is currently a class of 132 court officers scheduled to graduate in December and another class will begin in New York City in January. That class is expected to have 200 recruits or more.

“The safety and security of our court facilities is paramount,” said Lucian Chalfen, spokesperson for the OCA. “We are extremely confident in the dedication, training, skill and professionalism of all our 4,000 court officers throughout New York City and state in maintaining order and keeping the courts safe and secure for the judges, lawyers, court staff, litigants and jurors who use them on a daily basis.”

Court officers were able to catch a novelty, inert hand grenade before it was brought into a Queens courthouse earlier this year, for example.

Cullen said he knows his members are more than capable of handling those situations, but they see it as doing more with less at this point.

“I believe we are well-trained. I just think we are short,” Cullen said. “It's not safe and our people don't feel safe.”

They said the issue could come to a boil next week when the first phase of Raise the Age is implemented.

That's when the criminal justice system in New York will stop treating 16-year-olds as adults, and instead begin transferring some of their cases to Family Court. Those who remain in Criminal Court will appear in a separate section for offenders younger than 18. The law does not affect 17-year-olds until next year.

Cullen and Quirk said officers in Family Court may not be ready for the influx, which begins Oct. 1.

“There's no foresight to keeping these courts safe. It's going to explode and it's going to be a problem for them. Our warnings, our requests have fallen on deaf ears. I'm dismayed by it and our membership is dismayed by it,” Cullen said.

Chalfen said the OCA has reassigned officers from the criminal and civil courts to Family Court to address the change.

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