The Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) offers law enforcement services to five of Suffolk County’s ten towns. With roughly 2500 sworn officers, it is one of the largest police departments in the United States.
The department also employs 500 civilians and almost 400 school crossing guards in addition to cops. The department stated in 2006 that its public information unit will be wholly staffed by civilians, allowing more officers to return to patrol duty. Suffolk County announced plans to hire 462 new SCPD officers in October 2021.
The police headquarters are in Yaphank, and the agency is led by a civilian police commissioner who is selected by the county executive. Geraldine Hart, the first woman commissioner, was sworn in on April 9, 2018. Stuart Cameron took over as Acting Commissioner after she resigned in 2021.
There are seven precincts in the department. Four of the five towns in Suffolk have their own precincts, with odd-numbered precincts serving the south coast and even-numbered precincts serving the north shore. The exception is Brookhaven, which has two precincts, the 5th in Patchogue and the 6th in Selden, due to its sheer vastness (spanning from Long Island Sound to the Atlantic Ocean) (formerly Coram). In the late 1990s, another precinct (the 7th) was built in Shirley due to population expansion in the eastern section of Brookhaven and deployment challenges from the existing station houses caused by Long Island’s continuously congested roadways and highways.
Prior to 1960, local towns and villages, as well as the New York State Police, were responsible for law enforcement in Suffolk County. Many of these jurisdictions used only part-time constables, who were usually nominated by local communities and paid to enforce court decisions, from the 17th century until well into the 20th century. For making arrests, serving warrants, and transporting inmates, additional costs were collected. These constables lacked official law enforcement training, worked long hours, and were paid poorly.
A referendum on the construction of a county police force was held in 1958, following the adoption of state law creating the county executive system of government. Babylon, Huntington, Islip, Smithtown, and Brookhaven were among the five western towns that voted yes. The five eastern towns—Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, East Hampton, and Southampton—decided to keep their own police forces, which they maintain to this day, with backup and specialized services provided by the Suffolk County Police Department.
State troopers working on Long Island who wished to join the new force might do so. The new detectives are criminal investigators from the district attorney’s office. In the new agency, the serving town and village police heads were often appointed as inspectors, deputy chiefs, or assistant chiefs. Competitive civil service tests were used to fill the remaining jobs. With 619 sworn members, the Suffolk County Police Department was established on January 1, 1960.
The Amityville Horror murder case, the 1987 case of Richard Angelo, the so-called “Angel of Death,” the 1993 Katie Beers kidnapping, the 1994 “Suffolk County Sniper” case, and the Ted Ammon murder case have all been investigated by the Suffolk County Police Department. In September 2001, Suffolk ESU, K-9, Crime Scene, and Aviation officers assisted in the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site.
Also learn about the Republic Airport
Law Offices of Jason Bassett, P.C. | Criminal Attorney and DWI Lawyer