400-500 layoff notices to go out

Hartford, Conn. (WTNH) - The Malloy adminstration says between four and five hundred layoff notices will be out by the end of the day tomorrow, with an official count by agency to be released by Thursday.

No numbers yet on cutbacks in the State Police, but the amount of money the Governor wants cut from the public safety department translates into over 300 jobs.

The head of the state police union says that the state is already under the statute mandated 1,248 troopers.

Malloy said, "I made it clear that there were no exceptions, the layoffs had to be delivered in such a way that they were broad based, and they are."

The heads of the correction officers union locals are blowing the whistle and saying that Malloy is closing too many facilities and sending pink slips to too many prison guards.

Luke Leone, of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (A.F.S.C.M.E.), said, "We think it's a recipe for disaster, they're closing these prisons, they're shipping the inmates to already overcrowded prisons...all four county jails; we have inmates sleeping on the floor now."

Malloy says there's plenty of room because the total prison population is way down.

Leone said, "I believe the population is down, not down enough to shut four prisons...we've already shut three, we're in the process of one more and we have no where to put these inmates and that's a recipe for disaster...could lead to riots."

Malloy said, "I think it will be at capacity in the sense that it should be at capacity."

The Malloy adminstration also says that the Commissioners in charge of the State Police and the Prisons are both long time professionals in their field and will downsize with no impact on public safety.