November 2012

Newsletter Publication of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office

Thank you for reading the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Newsletter.  This month we focus our attention on the dedicated employees of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office who responded to Hurricane Sandy and helped in the aftermath of the storm. We will also focus on our annual Open House event which took place on October 7th and was attended by over 300 people, including many officers, civilian staff, and their families.

I am especially proud of the fact that the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office was recently honored to receive the Certificate of Accreditation from the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. The rigorous accreditation process demonstrates that our deputy sheriffs and civilian staff are meeting and exceeding the highest standards in the field of law enforcement and public administration.

For more information about the Sheriff's Office, visit us online at www.suffolksheriff.com.

We welcome your suggestions, photos and story ideas for upcoming issues. Send us an email anytime.

VINCENT  F. DeMARCO
Suffolk County Sheriff

Sheriff's Office sworn personnel were actively engaged in search and rescue operations during Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath. The Office continues to assist in clean up and restoration efforts throughout Suffolk County through ongoing coordination with federal, state and local authorities. 

Pictured here is the Sheriff's Office Humvee on Dune Road on Tuesday 10/30 during a joint effort with the United States Coast Guard to assess damage in the hard hit area.

Deputy Sheriffs are pictured above rescuing people trapped on Fire Island on 10/29 as Hurricane Sandy lashed Suffolk County.

The Emergency Management vehicle has made appearances in numerous Suffolk County communities providing assistance, such as removing downed trees from roads, in the wake of Sandy.

Also pictured is the B.A.T. Mobile, which has served as a mobile command post to coordinate response efforts due to the widespread power outages across the county.

Inmate work crews, supervised by Correction Officers, have been dispatched to some of the county’s most severely damaged areas to assist with clean-up efforts. In the Village of Lindenhurst, inmates cleared roadways of downed trees and assisted with the Sheriff’s Office ice distribution efforts in Yaphank.

Correction Officer James Milowski assists with ice to a county resident in Riverhead on November 1st. Sheriff DeMarco announced that free ice would be made available to county residents in need following the hurricane. Over 3500 lbs. of ice were distributed to residents over four days.

Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent F, DeMarco announced that the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office is now offering the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification program (SAVIN-NY)  to anyone who registers to receive alerts regarding Family Court-issued orders of protection in Suffolk County.

The program, which the Sheriff announced in October to coincide with national Domestic Violence Awareness Month, offers a text, email, phone or fax notification to alert victims when Sheriff’s deputies serve a Family Court Order of Protection to a perpetrator on their behalf.

To learn more about SAVIN-NY, or to register for the alerts, Sheriff DeMarco advises the public to visit www.suffolksheriff.com and click on the SAVIN-NY link on the left side of the home page of his website.

Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent F. DeMarco helped dedicate a memorial site to honor Henry H. Preston, who served our nation during the Civil War and as Suffolk County’s first salaried Sheriff from 1903 to 1906. DeMarco joined with descendants of Henry Preston, including his great-great grandson, Arthur Bloom, and other public officials at today’s ceremony.  The event was held at Preston Plaza in front of the Shelter Island Police Station on November 11th.

During the ceremony, Sheriff DeMarco remarked on the life of Sheriff Preston: “Like thousands of his fellow soldiers, he was injured during the Civil War and suffered from pain throughout his life.  His service and devotion to his country, in itself, makes him a hero.”

The memorial was constructed out of a granite boulder which originated from the site of the former 19th-century Griffing Avenue jail in Riverhead.

Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent F. DeMarco hosted the 2012 annual Sheriff’s Open House and Family Day on Sunday, October 7th.  Over 300 people attended the event, including many officers, civilian staff and their families.  The event featured jail tours, law enforcement presentations, exhibits and exciting demonstrations by the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team and our corrections and deputy K-9s.

In September 2011, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office launched a “Youth Tier Program” and a “Sheriff’s Youth Reentry Task Force.”  The Youth Tier Program is a designated area within the facility that houses approximately 10 young male inmates between the ages of 16 and 19. The inmates living in this special housing area receive intensive life skills training, mentoring, gang prevention education, educational services and participate in a program designed to foster greater discipline, camaraderie within the group and goal setting. Members of the Youth Reentry Task Force assist with transitional planning for the young inmates scheduled to be released from the program. The Task Force is comprised of individuals from the non-profit community such as Family Service League, United Way, Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch, Hope House and other community-based organizations from throughout Suffolk County, as well as county representatives and educators from SUNY Stony Brook’s School of Social Welfare and Eastern Suffolk BOCES. Members of the Task Force have been working hard to do in-reach into the facility and provide services to the youth during their incarceration, and are helping to identify barriers to successful reentry for the youth participating in the program. Partnerships and collaborations with the non-profit and public sector are already improving outcomes for the youth, reducing recidivism and giving them the opportunities for a second chance.