FALL 2014

Newsletter Publication of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office

This is the Fall 2014 edition of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office newsletter, On Guard and In Focus.  We appreciate this opportunity to inform readers about the many programs and initiatives we offer. 

We welcome your suggestions, photos and story ideas for upcoming issues. Send us an email anytime. Also visit us on Facebook and Twitter for updated information about the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office.  

VINCENT  F. DeMARCO
Suffolk County Sheriff

 

On Sunday, September 28th, Sheriff DeMarco hosted the Sheriff's Office Open House and Family Day at the correctional facility in Riverhead. The event included tours of the facility, SERT team demonstrations, K-9 demonstrations, a historical display, Operation Safe Child ID cards, and many other community programs. The Sheriff's Open House is held each fall during Sheriff's Week.

As part of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Recruit Class Curriculum, all new recruits develop and participate in a community service project. Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent F. DeMarco implemented the service initiative last year to emphasize to new officers the importance of giving back to their communities. 

Correction Recruit Class 14-154’s community service project was to collect and donate school supplies to Little Flower Children Services in Wading River, New York.  The Class planned and implemented the project as a group, and also made the decision to choose Little Flower as the recipient.  The Recruits personally delivered the supplies to Little Flower on Wednesday, October 8th.

Two important initiatives, VINE and SAVIN-NY, were highlighted by Sheriff DeMarco at a press conference on Thursday, October 2nd held to educate the public. Both initiatives serve to help protect victims of domestic violence, as well as individuals affected by other crimes.

The Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification, or “SAVIN-NY” Program, permits victims to register to be notified by phone, text message or e-mail when a Family Court Order of Protection has been served on their perpetrator.

The Victim Information and Notification Everyday system, or “VINE,” allows crime victims to register by phone or online to be notified when an offender is released from jail or prison.  VINE is available nationwide and may also be accessed through a downloadable app for iPhone or Android phones.

Both services are offered completely free of charge and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information and links to the applications are available on the Sheriff’s Office website at www.SuffolkSheriff.com.

 

Thirty-seven recruits from Class 14-154 graduated to the rank of Correction Officer during a graduation ceremony held at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood on Tuesday, October 7th.

On Wednesday, September 10th, the National Aging In Place Council Long Island Chapter (NAIPC) made a $1650 donation in support of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office’s Project Lifesaver initiative. The Project Lifesaver program combines technology and specially trained Sheriff’s Deputies to locate individuals with cognitive impairments who have wandered. Project Lifesaver clients wear a “watch-type” wristband transmitter (worn on the wrist, ankle or as a necklace), which emits a tracking signal. When a caregiver calls the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver Emergency Line to report that a client has wandered, a search team responds to the wanderer’s area and, while in route, activates the vehicles mobile locator tracking system. A hand-held unit is used to search for clients in areas inaccessible by vehicles.

The donation from the Long Island Chapter of NAIPC, which was raised from two local businesses, I-Fix-Screens and 101 Mobility of Long Island, will provide financial support for individuals that do not have the resources to purchase the wristbands. The devices cost $300 each. More information about Project Lifesaver may be found on the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office’s website at www.suffolksheriff.com.

In September, several murals were installed in the visiting section of the Riverhead Correctional Facility.  They were painted by Diana Fogarty of the Huntington-based non-profit, Splashes of Hope, which donated the artwork. The painting is meant to create a more cheerful environment for children visiting their incarcerated parents, friends and relatives.

Deputy Sheriffs recently teamed up with the Brookhaven Fire Department and South Country Ambulance Company to teach teens about the very real and devastating consequences of both driving under the influence and distracted driving. The program gives students a real life look at an accident scene from start to finish. It begins with the arrival of the first patrol car to the scene of the accident and includes the subsequent investigation, field sobriety test, and arrest of the driver. The students also witness first hand what the victims of an accident caused by distracted driving or driving under the influence would look like.