What is the American Correctional Officers (ACO)?
American Correctional Officer is a national coalition of organizations, fraternal associations and unions whose members include publicly employed correctional officers and corrections professionals. The mission and purpose of American Correctional Officer is to promote the well being and safety of publicly employed Correctional Officers and corrections professionals; to improve the working conditions for all who work in public corrections; to share best practices so that all can benefit; to educate the media, general public and our elected officials about the daily challenges we face; to seek progressive change to meet those challenges; to provide information, research and mutual support for all associations, unions and fraternal organizations who count corrections professionals among their members; to establish an international communications network among corrections professionals; to provide a national voice for our profession and to continue to protect the public by working to ensure that our nations prisons, jails and juvenile justice facilities are safe and secure.
American Correctional Officer is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the corrections profession. It is run for and by correctional officers working in our local, county, state, federal and juvenile correctional facilities.
What is the ACO "Mission Statement"?
“The mission and purpose of American Correctional Officer is to promote the well being and safety of publicly employed Correctional Officers and corrections professionals; to improve the working conditions for all who work in public corrections; to share best practices so that all can benefit; to educate the media, general public and our elected officials about the daily challenges we face; to seek progressive change to meet those challenges; to provide information, research and mutual support for all associations, unions and fraternal organizations who count corrections professionals among their members; to establish an international communications network among corrections professionals; to provide a national voice for our profession and to continue to protect the public by working to ensure that our nations prisons, jails and juvenile justice facilities are safe and secure.”
Who controls the American Correctional Officers (ACO)?
ACO is controlled by a Board of Directors comprised of one Officer from each organizational member and the original founding members of ACO. ACO has five elected officials chosen from among members of the Board who serve two year staggered terms. The current officials are:
President Vito Dagnello, New York
County Correctional Officer
Vice President Michael Haley, Massachusetts
County Correctional Captain
Treasurer Thomas Finston, New York
County Correctional Officer
Recording Secretary Gary Harkins, Oregon
Retired State Correctional Officer
Sgt at Arms Eric Spierer, New Jersey
Juvenile Correctional Lieutenant
Founding Board Members include the above elected officials and:
Michael Van Patten - Oregon State Correctional Sergeant
Robert Brouilette – Massachusetts State Correctional Officer
John Crandall – New Jersey County Correctional Officer
John Duer – New York County Correctional Officer
Richard Ferruccio – Rhode Island State Correctional Officer
Mike Haley – Massachusetts County Correctional Captain
Steve Kenneway – Massachusetts State Correctional Officer
Henry Ruiz – New Jersey County Correctional Sergeant
Ed Small – Oregon Retired State Correctional Officer
What are ACO's working Committees?
The American Correctional Officer Intelligence Network realizes that we cannot do it all ourselves, and acknowledge the importance of our members ideas, view points, and participation. That is why we rely on our working committees to guide our path.
