Law enforcement in Suffolk county

Law enforcement in Suffolk county

Law enforcement in Suffolk county has developed over time to the dedicated and well-equipped police department that exists today. Before the year 1960, law enforcement I Suffolk county was majorly the responsibility of the local town folk as well as the New York State Police. The earlier 17^th century saw the townsfolk hire part-time constables who were paid to enforce court orders. They were paid depending on arrest made, serving warrants, and transporting criminals. The New York State Police arrived on long island in the year 197, and this sparked the formation of various other small police forces soon after that, although they were not well equipped to deal with more significant cases. After world war II, there was a lot of population growth in Suffolk, and there existed 33 different law enforcement agencies, which prompted calls by the town folk to create a unified police force. The passing of the 1958 state legislation creating the county executive for of governance led to the establishment of a county police force. The five eastern towns, including Riverhead and Southold, opted to retain their police force, although the  Suffolk county police still provide assistance to this day. The western town voted in favor of the law.

The western towns that voted in favor of the law finally agreed to turn over all their police duties to the new agency. The new agency agreed to provide patrolled uniformed patrol service and other services such as a communication agency and an identification bureau. Additionally, a new police academy was established to train the aspiring patrol officers. All the trainees from the academy became the police force that formed the department without any additional qualification or assessment. Additionally., criminal investigators from the district attorney’s office were appointed as detectives of the new department, the serving village chief as inspectors, deputy chiefs and assistant chiefs in the newly created department. Civil examinations were conducted t full all other positions, and finally, the Suffolk County Police Department officially came into being on January 1, 1960, with 619 members sworn in as law enforcement personnel.

Today, the Suffolk police department has an estimated 2500nsworn officers, and this makes it one of the most massive police forces in the country. The department has also created numerous jobs, including its most recent announcement that it would full all the public information units with civilians and thus allow for more officers to go on patrol duty. The department’s structure involves the Police commissioner who leads the deportment rankings. The county executive appoints the police commissioner and the police headquarters are located in Yaphank. The department is also broken down into seven precincts serving the five towns, each except the city of Brookhaven, which is large and thus necessities two prescient.The Suffolk County park police was initially an independent law enforcement agency. Still, it has also been adopted to the Suffolk County Police department to increase information transparency and effectiveness. The County police department also has specialized sections or teams that include an aviation squad which is equipped with four helicopters to provide law enforcement, search and rescue, and medivac service to the entire county. There also exist arson squad to investigate fires and other related crimes. The arson squad established in the year 2003, and it also investigates suspicious bombings and fires as well as highway patrol to enforce highway laws that include drink driving restrictions on and speeding limits. The Bureau is characterized by marked and unmarked police cars as well as motorcycles cab mainly bee founded in the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway within the police district. The special group also investigates all fatalities in the police district related to automobiles, regardless of where they occurred on the highway. Other special squads include;]

the emergency service station

This cation of the Suffolk police department was formed in the year 1973. The section is well trained and socialized un explosives, Haz-Mat, S.W.A.T, and rescue calls from the emergency line in the county.

The airport sections

The section was established in the year 2001, and its primary purpose was to deal with the protection of the Island MacArthur airport in Ronkonkoma, including all the airport staff and passengers.

Community-oriented police Enforcement COPE

This section mainly consists of mountain bike riders who patrol the community and provide assistance and information to other patrol officers.

Marine Bureau

There are around 500 square miles of navigable water ways patrolled by the Suffolk marine bureau. The same special unit also patrols the beaches of fire island, and they use 27’ and 32′ SAFE boats, which are also tried and tested in cases requiring patients transport.

Auxiliary Police

This is a volunteer police force that includes uniformed patrols throughout Suffolk county to deter crime. The Suffolk County police department provides a full 120-hour training program for the civic-minded men and women who volunteer. The auxiliary officer is equipped with batons, handcuffs, and pepper spray. They are also allowed to carry a firearm, but this requires extra training by the14 police department. They are, however, limited in terms of authority, and they are mostly advised to call fulltime police officers to assist in cases such as arrest.

The department has been involved in various high-profile cases, including the Amityville Horror murder case, the 1987 Bagel of death case, and the Katie Beers kidnapping. The police force in the department has been reputable for their professionalism in the field and in dealing with various members of the community. They have, however, been criticized over the handling of the 1988 murder case of Seymour and Arlene Tankliff. The lead detective in the case injected adrenaline into the suspect, who was later convicted to 50 years in prison. That case is, however, being investigated by a special prosecutor.

There have also been a lot of changes in terms of personnel demographics and arising issues. In recent times, the Suffolk police department has been renowned for their rate of pay, especially when compared to the New York City Police department.This can be evidenced by the fact that in the year 2010, the starting pay for an officer was estimated at 59000 annually. After five years of service, that amount rose to $108608, not including overtime, night differential, and other benefits. The New York state o [police department has been consistently increasing their pay, and this has served to reduce the attractiveness of the Suffolk Police department to the city officers. However, applications for entry exams have drastically reduced from 5000 in 2018, which as an estimated plummet by 23000 applicants. Hiring in the Suffolk county police has not come with its range of issues with the count coming under critics from African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities that claim the Hiring process is discriminative. The U. S justice department had historically sued the department for discriminating against women and minorities in the hiring process in 1983. The county did, however, deny any accusations but signed a consent decree where they committed to hiring more minorities. The hiring discrimination has, yet, not changed as the number of minorities has remained small. A cadet program that was initially aimed at increasing and easing the way for Black and Hispanic young people was rejected in the year 998 as unconstitutional reverse discrimination. In addition to that, a well-publicized scandal that revealed cheating and tampering of results in the 1996 police exam further reduced the confidence of the public in the actual fairness of the hiring process. There have los been personnel issues relating to the unfair treatment of women in the department. In 2003, a group of six female officers sued the department for sext discrimination over its pregnancy policy and women a judgment from the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In addition to that offense, the department was also found guilty of discrimination through denial of various positions to pregnant officers.

In conclusion, the Suffolk police department was established as a result of the need for a unified law enforcement agency in the area. This department’s hiring process has recently been scrutinized over claims of discrimination, but these claims have decreased. There is, however, a large number of officers serving through the department, and the number continues to grow.