Starting October 1st, 16-year-olds who have committed misdemeanor crimes will be tried as juveniles in Family Court, as per the 'Raise the Age' legislation approved in 2015. For 17-year-olds, the same change comes on October 1st, 2019--

Court officers and elected officials are increasingly worried about safety when these changes take place, citing severe staffing shortages, security lapses and an uptick in violence.

They are calling on Governor Cuomo to address what they characterize as a near state of emergency.

Patrick Cullen is the president of the New York State Supreme Court Officers Association and Dennis Quirk is president of New York State Court Officers Association.