Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman swears in members of controversial new armed force, officials say

More than two dozen people were sworn in as provisional special deputies by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Monday, fueling fresh concerns about a program Democratic lawmakers and community advocates call a private, unaccountable and illegal militia.

Twenty-six provisional deputies, many with law enforcement experience, completed two months of training before Monday’s graduation ceremony in Mineola, according to lawmakers and media reports. The ceremony was first reported by News 12 Long Island.

Blakeman, a Republican, has previously said the deputies would guard critical infrastructure and supplement Nassau police and other first responders when needed by the county during an emergency. But the Nassau Legislature’s Democrats said Blakeman also continues to refuse to answer why a suburban county with one of the nation’s largest police departments and historically low crime rates needs the program.

"It is just completely unnecessary in my mind," said Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove), the legislature’s Democratic leader and a vocal critic of the program. "I can’t imagine a situation where we would actually need them. I don’t know what his motive is, it would be nice if the county executive would explain it more."

DeRiggi-Whitton said Blakeman did not inform Democratic lawmakers about Monday’s ceremony. That is par for the course for the county executive, who Democrats say has refused to answer questions about the program since he rolled it out last spring. The legislature’s Democrats say the program is illegal because it was not created with legislative notification or authorization.

"We have been given no information," Legis. Seth Koslow (D-Merrick) said. "He does not respond to any of our questions. It is our job to decide how money is spent."

Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Blakeman, did not respond to requests for information, and Nassau County officials have not responded to a Freedom of Information Law request for details about the program filed by Newsday in August.

The chairman of the Nassau Legislature’s Public Safety Committee, Legis. Patrick Mullaney (R-Long Beach), and other Republicans on the panel also did not return requests for comment. The program is operated under the Nassau sheriff’s office. A person at the sheriff’s office who refused to identify himself said Sheriff Anthony LaRocco would not be available until after the holidays.

Nassau police also declined to comment on the graduation ceremony, but DeRiggi-Whitton said officers from the department and other law enforcement agencies in the county have expressed concerns about the deputies’ training, firearms, or how they will be integrated into the command structure during disasters and emergencies. Some are offended that Blakeman believes the county needs additional policing when it has about 2,600 sworn officers and enjoyed a 8.18% drop in crime between 2022 and 2023.

"It is really not wanted by the police," DeRiggi-Whitton said.

DeRiggi-Whitton said Blakeman has ignored traditional government checks and balances and usurped lawmakers’ control over tax dollars by creating the program without authorization from the legislature. He also overstepped his authority to pay the provisional deputies a stipend of $150 for each day they are activate, she said. According to county law, special deputies can only be paid up to $3 an hour without legislative approval.

Community advocates say Blakeman’s fealty to President-elect Donald Trump fuels fears the provisional deputies will be used to detain immigrants and carry out other parts of the MAGA agenda.

"I assume he will be using this to carry out whatever Trump wants him to carry out," said community activist David Sprintzen, a professor emeritus of philosophy at Long Island University and the coordinator of the social action committee of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island. "Blakeman has made it clear that he is comfortable doing whatever Trump wants, including rounding up undocumented immigrants."

The Blakeman administration placed a notice in Newsday in March seeking private citizens with gun licenses and their own firearms to serve as provisional special deputies who would be deployed to protect human life and property during emergencies. Applicants need to be U.S. citizens, Nassau residents, business or property owners and 21 to 72 years of age.

As Newsday reported in September, at least 15 of the first 25 applicants had law enforcement backgrounds. It is not clear if the first 25 applicants completed the training and graduated on Monday.