Correction officers union chief wants an insider to replace Ponte

New York City’s powerful correction officer union chief wants an insider picked as the next correction commissioner – and he’s even mentioning some names.

“On (Rikers) Island right now, we have jails named after people who are still living, some who are running jail systems elsewhere, and some who did it and knocked it out the park,” said Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association President Elias Husamudeen. He mentioned Robert N. Davoren and Eric M. Taylor, who both have eponymous facilities on Rikers Island. Davoren retired in 2006 as chief of department, the highest uniformed position in the New York City Department of Correction. Taylor retired from the same position in 1997, and has since run a number of jails in New Jersey.

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Husamudeen was hesitant to say too much because of his contentious relationship with the de Blasio administration and outgoing correction commissioner Joseph Ponte. “What I don’t want to do is say somebody’s name and then kill that person’s chances because (of) the union,” he said.

Husamudeen spoke after running in the Rikers Island 5K, an annual run for department employees and friends on the roads of the notorious island of jails. He also reiterated his opposition to rumored commissioner candidate Dan Pacholke, who used to run the Washington state prison system.