Governor Paterson has a State Police security detail of around 200 men, the Post reports today. That’s 50 more than are devoted to protecting the entire territory of Long Island. While that number is the same as Governor Pataki once enjoyed, it’s significantly higher than the roster that Eliot Spitzer had on hand, and the Post’s Fred Dicker talked to a few people who are kind of pissed about it. “The governor wants to have an entourage — three or four cars — wherever he goes because he thinks it makes him look more gubernatorial, it helps him politically,” said one senior official. The State Troopers Benevolent Association has even accused Paterson of “disregarding public safety” for cutting troopers’ jobs elsewhere but amping up his own protection. To which we suggest Paterson says, in the immortal words of Big Pun: “I want it all, you can call me greedy and superficial, long as my crew’s official and pulls they pistols soon as I whistle.” That’ll shut up the haters.
