Court officers’ groups have split endorsements in Brooklyn DA race

October 7, 2013 By Charisma L. Miller, Esq. Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Screen Shot 2013-10-07 at 3.21.20 PM.png

Share this:

The New York State Supreme Court Officers Association has announced its support for the Democratic nominee for Brooklyn district attorney, Ken Thompson, making it the first law enforcement organization to endorse Thompson.

Announcing the organization’s support of Thompson, the group’s president, Patrick Cullen, commented, “Ken has seen the D.A.’s Office stray from its mandate of being a voice of the people and an advocate for fighting crime in the communities which make up this great county.”

However, the New York State Court Officers Association, a separate organization, is endorsing Thompson’s rival, longtime incumnbent District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. The organization’s president, Dennis Quirk, is managing Hynes’ campaign on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Thompson defeated Hynes in the September Democratic primary. Hynes initially vowed not to re-enter the DA race on Republican and Conservative tickets. However, he recently announced his active candidacy via his new spokesperson, Jerry Schmetterer.

“[Hynes] refuses to turn his back on the people of Brooklyn, the thousands of families he has helped with his domestic-violence initiatives, the drug addicts reformed through his programs, the rehabilitated who are back in society,” Schmetterer said after being confronted with Hynes’ flip-flop on his decision to re-enter the race.

In a past interview, Quirk explained that the New York State Court Officers Association represents all court officers, regardless of whether they are stationed in Supreme Court or another court within throughout the state.

A call to Quirk was not immediately returned.