The Legal Aid Society called on the New York City Department of Correction to dissolve its Emergency Service Unit, a “hyper-confrontational and unprofessional” outfit that a new federal report says exacerbates staff-on-incarcerated people violence in New York City jails, as reported by Gothamist.

The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) – a militarized task force charged with responding to riots, fires, escapes and other crisis situations – was slammed in the latest version of the Nunez Report for its role in escalating confrontations, leading to an elevation in use of force against people in DOC custody. In addition to highlighting the unprofessional, unsafe behavior by ESU staff, the Monitor found that DOC line staff and supervisors are too frequently calling upon ESU to solve commonplace correctional issues rather than solving problems themselves.

Mary Lynne Werlwas, Director of The Legal Aid Society’s Prisoners’ Rights Project, argued that DOC should disband the unit because of its hyper-aggressive ethos and longstanding problematic history – persistent issues made worse by incompetent management and an inability to implement badly needed reforms in the agency.

“By introducing paramilitary gear, weaponry and this ethos of combat, they ratchet up any ordinary tensions that officers ordinarily could dispel by talking to people or using ordinary relationship management,” Werlwas said