FORT ANN – A New York state building in our area was recently flying the state flag upside-down.

NewsChannel 13 aired a conversation Wednesday night with the corrections commissioner about the state’s plan to shut down Great Meadow Correctional Facility in the hamlet of Comstock and move the 650 employees to other facilities, including some more than two hours away.

During that story, we showed video of the prison that we’d taken a few days earlier. Viewers noticed that the state flag flying outside Great Meadow was upside-down. NewsChannel 13 reached out to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision on Thursday.

A spokesperson said “The New York state flag being flown upside down is unacceptable. The matter was immediately addressed and rectified.”

NewsChannel 13 also contacted the union representing corrections officers. Matt Keough, executive vice president of NYSCOPBA said, “it could be a signal from the staff that they feel like they’re under attack from their own employer.” He continued, “…a sentiment that could be echoed by 17,000 members of NYSCOPBA. Overworked and underappreciated.”

The DOCCS spokesman also said, “if a staff person or volunteer at the facility is found responsible, there would be consequences.”

The state plans to close Great Meadow in November.