Blue Friday is April 26, 2024

Blue Friday of New York

Honoring Those Who Protect and Serve

New York State Department of Correctional Services

End of Watch: January 28, 2011 

Corrections Officer Casimiro PomalesNew York State Department of Correctional Services

Corrections Officer Casimiro Pomales was killed in an automobile accident as he and another officer transported an inmate to a medical appointment.

Officer Pomales was driving a prison van on the New York State Thruway, near Ulster, when it was sideswiped by another car. The impact caused the van to overturn. Officer Pomales, the other officer, and the inmate were transported to Kingston Hospital where Officer Pomales was pronounced dead.

Officer Pomales had served with the New York State Department of Correctional Services for over 22 years and was assigned to the Eastern Correctional Facility. He is survived by his wife and several grown children.

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End of Watch: September 9, 2002 

Sergeant John Thomas Hart, Sr.New York State Department of Correctional Services

Sergeant John Hart suffered a fatal heart attack while supervising prison work crews that were assisting in fighting forest fires on Sleeping Beauty Mountain, in Fort Anne, New York.

Sergeant Hart was hiking up the mountain to check on one of the work crews when he collapsed.

Sergeant Hart had been employed with the New York State Department of Corrections for 24 years, and is survived by his wife and two children.

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End of Watch: August 1, 1999 

Corrections Officer Frank MydlarzNew York State Department of Correctional Services

Officer Mydlarz suffered a heart attack while attempting to break up a fight between two male inmates at the Great Meadows State Prison. Officer Mydlarz was removed to the hospital where he died.

Officer Mydlarz had been with the agency for 19 years.

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End of Watch: February 6, 1982 

Corrections Officer Claude W. CromieNew York State Department of Correctional Services

Corrections Officer Claude Cromie suffered a fatal heart attack after being assaulted as he was escorting a disruptive inmate from the dayroom of a housing unit at Clinton Correctional Facility.

Officer Cromie had been a guard at the maximum-security
Clinton Correctional Facility for 21 years. He was survived by his wife and five children.

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End of Watch: July 27, 1949 

Corrections Officer Harold BruetteNew York State Department of Correctional Services

Officer Bruette died after falling from the top of a guard tower at the Clinton Correctional Facility.

Officer Bruette had just climbed a latter to the top of the tower when he suffered a heart attack and fell from the guard tower to the ground.

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End of Watch: April 17, 1919 

Corrections Officer Charles I. GunterNew York State Department of Correctional Services

Officer Gunter was struck on the head and killed during an escape attempt at the tuberculosis hospital at the Clinton State Prison. Two inmates had concealed the brass nozzle of a fire hose and bludgeoned Officer Gunter to death as he watched over them in the dining hall.

The two suspects were both convicted of murdering Officer Gunter and sentenced to death. They were both executed in the electric chair on May 28, 1920.

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End of Watch: December 12, 1917 

Superintendent Doctor Charles H. NorthNew York State Department of Correctional Services

Doctor North, the Superintendent of the Dannemora State Prison Hospital, was fatally stabbed in the back with a chisel by an inmate after he had just finished a conversation with that inmate.

Doctor North had served with the New York State Department of Correctional Services as the Superintendent of Dannemora for 13 years.

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End of Watch: January 11, 1904 

Keeper Dennis O'BrienNew York State Department of Correctional Services

Keeper O'Brien was struck and killed by a train while searching for two escaped prisoners.

Keeper O'Brien had spent the day at the Bluff Point train station, looking for two inmates who had escaped the previous night from the state prison at Dannemora.

At approximately 1745 hours, Keeper O'Brien walked across the tracks to talk to someone on a freight train. Due to the cold weather, Keeper O'Brien had his collar pulled up and did not hear the approaching train, or a train brakeman calling out to him.

The train struck and instantly killed Keeper O'Brien.

Keeper O'Brien was assigned to the Clinton Correctional Facility. He was survived by his wife and seven children.

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End of Watch: July 11, 1861 

Keeper Augustus T. WrightNew York State Department of Correctional Services

Keeper Wright was struck and killed with an iron bar during an escape attempt at the iron ore processing plant at Clinton State Prison.

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P.O. Box 38235
Albany, NY 12203

End of Watch On This Date

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