(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone applauds the Suffolk County Legislature for its unanimous vote in support of a Home Rule message to transfer and reclassifiy of all Suffolk County Park Police Officers to Suffolk County Police Officers. The legislation is sponsored by Senator Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Steve Englebright. Bellone will call upon the NYS delegation to support this legislation, which the independent Legislature Budget Review Office estimated would save taxpayers $13.4 million.
The 2014 Adopted Budget proposes the transfer of current Parks Police Officers to the Suffolk County Police Department and includes provisions to hire seasonal, temporary and part-time park rangers and park security guards. This transfer will supplement the County plans to hire new classes of Police Officers under the new contractual salary plan. This transfer will have the following advantages:
- Increase Police Officer availability by reducing training time since the Park Police have completed academy training;
- Park Police would be hired into the new recruit salary schedule based on the nearest comparable bi-weekly salary.
Who: County Executive Bellone, Commissioner Ed. Webber, Chief Jim Burke, Commissioner Greg Dawson
Where: Blydenburgh County Park, Veteran’s Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, NY 11788
Directions: The main (southern) entrance to the park is on the north side of Veterans Memorial Highway, opposite the H. Lee Dennison County Center in Smithtown. The northern entrance can be reached by following Route 347 to Brooksite Drive North; turn left on New Mill Road and follow to park entrance at end.
When: March 19, 2014, 11:30am
