COLLINS — An incident at the Collins Correctional Facility led to a lockdown Wednesday for the facility’s staff and incarcerated individuals.

Following a statement earlier Wednesday, at 4:40 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) provided a detailed account of the incident.

According to DOCCS, Wednesday morning, an incarcerated individual at the Collins Correctional Facility was found attempting to discard contraband. DOCCS stated, “There was a use of force which resulted in the recovery of two cell phones. The other incarcerated individuals in his dorm became agitated and attempted to check on the incarcerated individual in possession of the phones, who was not injured. On site, staff and supervisors de-escalated the incident and the incarcerated returned to their cubes. Later that morning, as a result of various potential threats, staff exited three dorms without incident. There were no hostages taken in any of the three dorms.”

After ordering the facility locked down, Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III activated emergency protocols, including negotiating teams, who successfully restored staff to the units and achieved a “peaceful resolution.”

DOCCS stated, “Everyone is safe, one officer sustained a minor injury and returned to duty. No incarcerated individuals were injured. The facility will remain locked down for a full facility frisk.”

In a social media post Wednesday, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association issued “thoughts and prayers to all staff involved in another example of the epidemic of violence in New York prisons.”

The incident is far from the first of its nature at facilities across the region. The latest lockdown comes only weeks after the union called on the New York state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to take immediate action to address the recent rash of incidents of staff becoming ill, including one incident locally, after coming into contact with inmates who have apparently overdosed on drugs, as well as the amount of contraband that are still getting into the hands of inmates.

Various media outlets say the incident in Collins is tied to staffing levels, including the Times Union in Albany. Collins Correctional Facility is a medium security level facility for males, according to the state website.

State Sen. George Borrello issued a statement Wednesday afternoon: “I’ve learned that Acting DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello has ordered prison superintendents to treat 70 percent staffing capacity as ‘full staffing,’ and is requiring superintendents to submit plans to permanently operate with fewer personnel. This is a de facto 30 percent staffing cut in a system already under siege, as today’s lockdown at Collins Correctional proves. Rather than addressing the ongoing crisis of rising violence and officer shortages, DOCCS and the (Gov. Kathy) Hochul administration are deliberately making an already dangerous situation worse.

“Correctional officers are already stretched to the breaking point, routinely working double and even triple shifts just to maintain the bare minimum coverage. This unsustainable workload is taking a devastating toll on their health, families, and safety, making them more vulnerable to attack while fueling instability inside prisons. Instead of protecting officers, DOCCS and the Hochul administration are slashing staff while ignoring the real causes of escalating violence-like the disastrous HALT Act, which has stripped officers of the tools they need to maintain control.

“The lockdown at Collins and this 30 percent staffing reduction are just the latest evidence of DOCCS reckless mismanagement and Albany’s pro-criminal policies. They are abandoning the men and women who keep our prisons secure to serve a radical political agenda. I strongly condemn this staffing reduction and urge Governor Hochul and Commissioner Martuscello to immediately reverse this dangerous decision before more lives are put at risk. Should any lives be lost, whether they be staff or inmates, the blood will be on their hands.”

In the first month of this year, there have been several incidents of inmate overdoses and staff developing significant health symptoms after having contact with inmates, the union reported. These incidents are taking place across the state and close to home.

On Jan. 23, four officers were injured and exposed to an unknown substance at Lakeview Correctional Facility near Brocton after a combative inmate attacked them as they entered his cell when he covered the cell door window and refused to respond to orders. The officers were injured when they opened his cell door, and he charged at them. They grabbed him in a body hold and forced him to the floor where he remained combative.

On the floor, the inmate bit one officer’s finger, breaking the skin. Once officers were able to get handcuffs on the inmate, he became compliant and was escorted to a holding cell to be evaluated. Beside the injuries the four officers sustained in the attack, they also developed shortness of breath, tightness in their chests, elevated blood pressure and fatigue. They were transported to Westfield Hospital and treated and released and did not return to duty.

“The concern with the alarming number of incidents occurring coupled with the fact that hazmat teams and law enforcement officials have been unable to identify the substances responsible for these exposures underscores the need for improved drug detection methods within the facilities and enhanced safety protocols. Two inmates needed to receive multiple doses to Narcan, and an AED was utilized and CPR performed to revive both men after apparent drug overdoses at Marcy Correctional Facility this week,” said Chris Summers, NYSCOPBA president. “It is clear, with the number of incidents of unresponsive inmates in prisons across the state, dangerous drugs like synthetic marijuana (K2) and Fentanyl are still getting into the prisons at an alarming rate. Contraband seized in 2024 numbered 4,739, a fifty five percent increase from 2022, despite having a secure vendor program that was supposed to reduce drugs and weapons from getting into the facility. That makes it extremely dangerous for staff who must interact with inmates daily and immediately respond to medical emergencies with no knowledge of the type of drugs they are encountering.”