This letter is addressed to Commissioner Joseph Ponte, who presides as the Commissioner of the New York City Department Of Correction. The content herein concerns the OATH decision forCorrection Officers Ramon Cabrera, Paul Bunton, Vincent Siederman, Raul Marquez and Geronimo Almazar. These Officers Were involved in a Use of Force incident involving inmate detainee Robert Hinton on April 3, 2012 at the George R.Vierno Center.

From our date of appointment as a NewYork City Correction Officer, we are responsible for the care, custody, and control of inmates under our watch. Each day we boldly enter our respective institutions, unsure if we will return home safely to our loved ones. We diligently perform the job in accordance with our oath to the City of New York--with integrity and complete professionalism. Correction Officers Cabrera, Bunton, Siederman, Marquez and Almazar each exhibit this professionalism and have conducted their jobs with dedication.

The Uniformed members of the New York City Department of correctional respectfully request that our highest ranking Official review all aspects of this case--inclusive of the character and past work performance of each of these four officers. We ask that you not acquiesce to the outside pressure of the media and other external forces. These people do not know what we do, the danger that we risk daily and they have no perspective on the job that we perform. A job that you, Commissioner Ponte, once held proudly.

As recruits, we are provided training through the Correction Academy. The Departmental Rules and Regulations, New York State Penal and Correction Law along with introduction to the multitude of Directives and Operations Orders that govern our duties and responsibilities. Despite these tools, the adjustment to life as a Correction Officer can be difficult. At the time of incident these officers were relatively new to the Department. Prior to and since this incident, these Officers have shown themselves to be diligent, reliable and an asset to this Agency despite their limited tenures on this job. It is with this opinion that the active Uniformed members of the Correction Department --which include Officers, Captains, Assistant Deputy Wardens, Deputy Wardens, Wardens and Chiefs-- many of whom have worked with and supervised these Correction Officers ask that you provide all due diligence as you review this OATH ruling. We ask that you consider past and current contributions that these Officers have made to this Department. We ask that you take into account how your determination will affect these Officers’careers, the lives of their families--as each of them have small children. We collectively feel that it would be a disserviceto this Department if we were to lose these young Officers at such a critical juncture in the history of the Agency. We are proud as fellow brothers and sisters in blue to patrol the toughest precincts in the City of New York… the jails of the New York City Correction Department. With this in mind, and considering the constant on-going attacks on the Uniformed members of the agency from inmates on the inside and the media on the outside, we believe the spirit of the Department will beirreparablybroken byupholding the OATH recommendation of termination for Correction Officer Ramon Cabrera, Correction Officer PaulBunton, Correction Officer Vincent Siederman, Correction Officer Raul Marquez and Correction Officer Geronimo Almazar.

Respectfully submitted,

WE THE UNDER-SIGNED