Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association President Benny Boscio told host Errol Louis on NY1’s “Inside City Hall” Wednesday night that he opposes the proposal by federal government to take over Rikers Island. 

“I don’t agree with that at all,” Boscio said. “Just because a receiver comes in, it’s not like he or she are going to wave a magic wand and all of our problems will go away.”  

The proposal comes after a federal judge on Tuesday ruled the city has three weeks to come up with a plan to reform the jail. The complex has been plagued by staffing storages and failed administration policies.

Boscio said the outcome of this has been “eight years of neglect” by the previous mayor, and that the Rikers Island Commissioner Louis Molina should be given an opportunity to “fix the problem,” citing that the three prior commissioners had no prior “jail experience.” 

“We have somebody that has some experience now in terms of New York jail experience and you know, things are starting to head in the right direction,” Boscio said. “But eight years of neglect is not going to happen overnight, you know fixing it in four months time” 

On the same day of the judge’s ruling, Mayor Eric Adams appointed 578 new correction officers to help implement the department’s new restricting housing that will replace solitary confinement. Boscio said this is a “great start” but asks for even more officers to deal with the crisis, as well as more inmate prosecutions.

“No other city workforce, no other workforce is being assaulted at the alarming rate that we are,” he said. 

The head of the union blames assaults on officers for employee absenteeism. Boscio told Louis that 1,500 officers have been assaulted by inmates in the past year, resulting in officers having to work double shifts and the resignation of 3,000 correction others. 

“All we are asking for is to be treated fairly in the city of New York like every other workforce, like every other uniform force in this city. We do a very dangerous job,” Boscio said.