BUFFALO, N.Y. —  State police continue to investigate an incident last weekend that led to 11 corrections officers and a nurse going to the hospital after responding to an attempted suicide at Collins Correctional.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she too is waiting for the results about what made officers sick.

"I just want to first of all commend the extraordinary work our corrections officers do," Hochul said. "I spoke to one at the Erie County fair last night."

The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association said exposure to potentially dangerous substances and violence are reaching a tipping point. The union is calling for the governor to take strong actions including potentially declaring a state of emergency.

"I'm looking at everything," Hochul said. "We have a responsibility to everyone involved in our corrections system to make sure they're safe."

Hochul continued to suggest that right-sizing the prison system is one potential solution, even as the union opposes the idea of closing more facilities. The governor noted the prison population has gone down 50% since 2008 from about 75,000 people incarcerated to 33,000.

"A lot has to do with the legalization of marijuana," she said. "A lot of those were low-level drug offenses."

Hochul said recruitment remains an issue as well. She said she is looking at ways to get more corrections officers in the system.

"We just gave a major pay increase," Hochul said. "We have a lot more flexibility. We're doing what we can to increase the number of people because the more you have the safer the environment."

NYSCOBPA said a rise in violence is directly correlated to the 2021 HALT Act which restricts the use of long-term solitary confinement. The governor pointed out that her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, signed the bill and she didn't have the opportunity to fully understand it at the time.

"It is the law now and we're listening to our corrections officers and the representatives of them," Hochul said. "They're coming to us frequently and they're pointing to data which is concerning to me. We have to make sure that environment is safe for the prisoners but also, very importantly, for those who are willing to step into those difficult jobs and protect society in so doing."

She said the HALT Act is fairly new so there is limited data but her administration is willing to look at statistics and consider necessary resolutions. The union believes she could suspend the law unilaterally if she declared a state of emergency.