Legislature meets today

[hahaha]

Public Safety my ass! recently You were all crying about sick days and retirement and all of sudden its the public? Go back to sleep behind the building, I won't tell a soul

[scpd patrol]

FYI, the S.C. Legislature is meeting today in Hauppauge. One item that they will be dealing with is extremely important to the people and police officers of Suffolk County. They will be voting (hopefully) to override Levy's veto of a bill that would create a task force to review police staffing.

Several months ago, the Levy administration began to shut down sector cars in order to "save money" saying that that was "good police management". Obviously, many of us argued rightly ( I must say) that the move only jeopardized the public's safety as well as the safety of police officers. The Legislature has been holding Dormer's feet to the fire over this issue and has wisely sought to look into the staffing situation further.

As many people have posted in the past, SCPD staffing levels were established in 1973. The population of Suffolk has almost doubled in that time, but the number of sector cars has not grown to serve the needs of the public. I truly hope that this is addressed. Levy is fearful of the truth coming out. It may cost money to add cars but the issue is public safety. I hope that the Legislature keeps their constituancy in mind and overrides Levy's veto.

[SCPD alumni]

Levy and Dormer both know any such task force can only come to the conclusion that there is an insufficient number of police officers on the streets of Suffolk, based on population, geography, and current staffing levels. This would be an embarassment to the both of them, and this is why they (and Newsday) oppose the idea.

Newsday even goes one step further and says that appointing high ranking officers from the Dept. to the task force would be like placing "the fox in the henhouse". Tell me, who would better know the Police Departments needs for manpower than the people whose job it is in the first place? First off, they would only be there to report manpower and crime statistics for consideration. Secondly, there would certainly be an equal or greater number of County "managers" present to participate in the dialogue. Should a committee formed for the purpose of establishing police manpower requirements NOT include people from the Police Department itself?

Police Departments all over are getting hung up on something called "Compstat", the latest hi-tech approach to policing. This idea seems to work well in big cities with small geographic areas and large numbers of police officers, but I doubt it will work well here in Suffolk. Our geographical area is much too large, and we simply don't have the manpower to implement the program as it is designed. What a program like this will do in Suffolk is guarantee that quieter, more affluent neighborhoods get very little in the way of police presence, while poorer, more crime prone neighborhoods get an overwhelming police presence (something they will resent greatly). No one can predict when or where something major will occur, that is why it is imperative that sufficient officers be available in every precinct at all times for immediate response, and not be off somewhere else, assigned to an area deemed to be more likely for criminal activity by a computerized analysis of crime statistics. This technology in Suffolk would be more suited for the reduction of crimes like burglary and drug dealing, and using specialized units or task forces to conduct investigations. This method has been successful in the past, but manpower limitations at present preclude any such tactic.

Suffolk Legislators are correct in questioning Dormer's policy of allowing precinct managers the power to shut down sector cars in "quieter" areas, and their constituents are correct in demanding the services that their police district taxes pay for. This is a shell game being played by County Executive Steve Levy in order to cut the police budget, and is being implemented by Dormer. He and Dormer are simply manipulating manpower requirements by cutting police patrols in selected communities and assigning the manpower elsewhere. They are "robbing Peter to pay Paul". This is being done for one reason: To avoid hiring the police officers Suffolk needs.

I would have a lot more respect for all concerned if they would stop lying to the public and just tell it like it is. Policing and public safety take a back seat in Suffolk County politics. Always has, always will. It's far more important that political cronies and relatives get hack jobs, and that the taxpayers money be used as a personal slush fund by politicians and connected businessmen. And that's the truth.

[Once again into the breac]

FYI, the S.C. Legislature is meeting today in Hauppauge. One item that they will be dealing with is extremely important to the people and police officers of Suffolk County. They will be voting (hopefully) to override Levy's veto of a bill that would create a task force to review police staffing.

Several months ago, the Levy administration began to shut down sector cars in order to "save money" saying that that was "good police management". Obviously, many of us argued rightly ( I must say) that the move only jeopardized the public's safety as well as the safety of police officers. The Legislature has been holding Dormer's feet to the fire over this issue and has wisely sought to look into the staffing situation further.

As many people have posted in the past, SCPD staffing levels were established in 1973. The population of Suffolk has almost doubled in that time, but the number of sector cars has not grown to serve the needs of the public. I truly hope that this is addressed. Levy is fearful of the truth coming out. It may cost money to add cars but the issue is public safety. I hope that the Legislature keeps their constituancy in mind and overrides Levy's veto.

The population has doubled, average incomes have tripled but police salaries and fringe compensation have gone up a whopping 6X that of the average private sector employee.

The county can solve the "manpower shortage," if it really exists, by simply reassigning everyone below the rank of captain onto the street.

[638]

What a program like this will do in Suffolk is guarantee that quieter, more affluent neighborhoods get very little in the way of police presence, while poorer, more crime prone neighborhoods get an overwhelming police presence (something they will resent greatly
Right for years we've been trying to get the Gordon Heights car as a Double car, and for years the shirts refused saying it would look bad, as no other car in the Pct. is a delta, and the community would resent it. Who are they kidding, the honest people welcome our presence and who cares what the skells think?
The reality is there are always 3-4 cars in there anyway.

The population has doubled, average incomes have tripled but police salaries and fringe compensation have gone up a whopping 6X that of the average private sector employee.

The county can solve the "manpower shortage," if it really exists, by simply reassigning everyone below the rank of captain onto the street.
Really the median income on L.I. is 18333? My son made that last year as a busboy working weekends.
Why should the Absolutely useless pencil pushers known as Captains, Dep. inspectors, Inspectors, Asst. Chiefs,Chiefs, and commisioners who do nothing but drive around in their TAKE HOME, personal use, FREE GAS county cars from bruncheon to dinner party anywhere in the Tri-state area be spared from your wrath?

[Once again into the breac]

Why should the Absolutely useless pencil pushers known as Captains, Dep. inspectors, Inspectors, Asst. Chiefs,Chiefs, and commisioners who do nothing but drive around in their TAKE HOME, personal use, FREE GAS county cars from bruncheon to dinner party anywhere in the Tri-state area be spared from your wrath?

You're right, they shouldn't. ASSISTANT chiefs?!?! WTF is that? And you're right about the take-home cars (I didnt know they had that) This is LI not NYC we don't need to be providing vehicles to any county employee for any reason, everyone already owns a car.

You're right, they shouldn't. ASSISTANT chiefs?!?! WTF is that? And you're right about the take-home cars (I didnt know they had that) This is LI not NYC we don't need to be providing vehicles to any county employee for any reason, everyone already owns a car.

Depending on the command, anyone from lt and up may be assigned a nice take home car, ford taurus or winstar van for the family man, actually in the academy and inservice training(emt, range, evoc) the sgts get them too.
Asst. chief is the guy who shows up at the banquet or fund raiser that the county exec, dept county exec, 1st dep county exec, commisioner, deputy commisioner, asst deputy commissioners, and all the chiefs didnt want to go to.

[SCPD PATROL 3]

Too many bosses here plain and simple

[County cars.......]

Depending on the command, anyone from lt and up may be assigned a nice take home car, ford taurus or winstar van for the family man, actually in the academy and inservice training(emt, range, evoc) the sgts get them too
Just how many cars are we paying for, for these leeches to parade around in, and what accountability is there as far as gas and mileage, in other words what system is there that they pay for their gas? County debit card?

My educated guess is around 100-125 cars. The gas tanks have a electric signal that only works on county pumps, dont know if there is any recording of the amount of gas used. I would imagine if someone is culpable for the gas useage it would be one of the ones driving about in a free car.

Too many bosses here plain and simple

If I've said it once I've said it before. If New York City can run a precinct with a Captain as a commanding officer therefore so can Suffolk. Dump the D/Inspectors and Inspectors as Commanding Officers. There would be a HUGE savings. D/Is and Inspectors dont unass themselves and answer calls. Blue shirted sector car operators do. If the CE/Commish want to "redeploy" their current personnel and reallocate their budget they should "invite" D/Is and Inspectors to retire or be demoted to their permanent civil service rank of Captain. Take the funds formerly wasted via duplication of services by these ranks and utilize them down on the level of execution, i.e. patrol cops. Nah, what am I thinking all of these bosses work on the legislators and County Execs campaigns. it's institutional patronage, after all these appointments are outside the realm of civil service since theire isn't a test for D/I or Inspector. The limited scope of the test for Chief of Police is used to fill one position of chief of police for that jurisdiction, not one 4 star, 3 or 4 three star chiefs, a few two stars and multiple one stars.
By the way what are the rules for the use of asset forfeiture monies by the county police department. Is it really necessary for chiefs and inspectors to use this money to go on junkets for themselves and their wives to IACP and other national fraternalpolice organization conventions for free? I thought when this money was given to the County by the DEA it was supposed to be used for training. What training value is derived by some chiefs and inspectors taking their girfriends hundreds if not thousands of miles away from Suffolk County on monies earmarked for training? Who oversees how these monies are spent to make sure that the County isn't defrauding the federal government and the taxpayers?

Gee Stevie Levy and your little dog dormer too if you want to find a few thousand dollars to cover adequate staffing, why don't you look at some of these sacred cows?

Hmmmm besides the politically correct answer of we want presence on major roads and getting cops to write tickets, where does the summonse revenue go when the county gets it's cut? We know for sure it doesn't go back to the police operating budget, it goes into the general fund. At the same time the county is forcing cops to write more tickets therefore generating more revenue for the county (which I'm not opposed to writing tix) it is crying poverty and cutting back patrol services. Here's a concept, cause the cops to write more tickets and then utilize the revenue to fund the Police Departments operating budget.

By the way when the town and village departments utilize the County police specialty services of Homicide, K9, Aviation, Marine Bureau, ES etc. where does the money go? Does it go back into the County PD operating budget? Nope it goes into the County general fund. The azzwipe CE/Commish will then bitch and whine about overtime when some of, but not all is caused and created by utilizing the specialty services for non police district services.

You can't have it both ways. Dump the D/I, Inspector, Chief duplication of services and fund patrol or shut up and reallocate the monies generated by patrol back to patrol and stop impounding them for the general fund. Speaking of general fund. How is it that the County can collect monies earmarked for the police department via taxes and then doesn't utililize those monies for the police budget, but siphons them off to where? Are they siphoning the funds for the coke and hookers fund? Are they siphoning off the monies to put them in their pockets? Are they siphoning them off to pay for patronage jobs in the CEs office? Shouldn't the taxpayer know where their impounded stolen monies are going since they aren't going to their intended cause.

If I've said it once I've said it before. If New York City can run a precinct with a Captain as a commanding officer therefore so can Suffolk. Dump the D/Inspectors and Inspectors as Commanding Officers. There would be a HUGE savings. D/Is and Inspectors dont unass themselves and answer calls. Blue shirted sector car operators do. If the CE/Commish want to "redeploy" their current personnel and reallocate their budget they should "invite" D/Is and Inspectors to retire or be demoted to their permanent civil service rank of Captain. Take the funds formerly wasted via duplication of services by these ranks and utilize them down on the level of execution, i.e. patrol cops. Nah, what am I thinking all of these bosses work on the legislators and County Execs campaigns. it's institutional patronage, after all these appointments are outside the realm of civil service since theire isn't a test for D/I or Inspector. The limited scope of the test for Chief of Police is used to fill one position of chief of police for that jurisdiction, not one 4 star, 3 or 4 three star chiefs, a few two stars and multiple one stars.
By the way what are the rules for the use of asset forfeiture monies by the county police department. Is it really necessary for chiefs and inspectors to use this money to go on junkets for themselves and their wives to IACP and other national fraternalpolice organization conventions for free? I thought when this money was given to the County by the DEA it was supposed to be used for training. What training value is derived by some chiefs and inspectors taking their girfriends hundreds if not thousands of miles away from Suffolk County on monies earmarked for training? Who oversees how these monies are spent to make sure that the County isn't defrauding the federal government and the taxpayers?

Gee Stevie Levy and your little dog dormer too if you want to find a few thousand dollars to cover adequate staffing, why don't you look at some of these sacred cows?

Hmmmm besides the politically correct answer of we want presence on major roads and getting cops to write tickets, where does the summonse revenue go when the county gets it's cut? We know for sure it doesn't go back to the police operating budget, it goes into the general fund. At the same time the county is forcing cops to write more tickets therefore generating more revenue for the county (which I'm not opposed to writing tix) it is crying poverty and cutting back patrol services. Here's a concept, cause the cops to write more tickets and then utilize the revenue to fund the Police Departments operating budget.

By the way when the town and village departments utilize the County police specialty services of Homicide, K9, Aviation, Marine Bureau, ES etc. where does the money go? Does it go back into the County PD operating budget? Nope it goes into the County general fund. The azzwipe CE/Commish will then bitch and whine about overtime when some of, but not all is caused and created by utilizing the specialty services for non police district services.

You can't have it both ways. Dump the D/I, Inspector, Chief duplication of services and fund patrol or shut up and reallocate the monies generated by patrol back to patrol and stop impounding them for the general fund. Speaking of general fund. How is it that the County can collect monies earmarked for the police department via taxes and then doesn't utililize those monies for the police budget, but siphons them off to where? Are they siphoning the funds for the coke and hookers fund? Are they siphoning off the monies to put them in their pockets? Are they siphoning them off to pay for patronage jobs in the CEs office? Shouldn't the taxpayer know where their impounded stolen monies are going since they aren't going to their intended cause.


Excellent post, you seem quite knowledgeable of the political machine know as SCPD, if more people as yourself could see through the b/s and realize that the average hardworking citizen and street cop need to work together for the good of the County, otherwise its politics as usual.
Just a quick point, some of the confiscated cars that the Dept purchased were being used in undercover assignments may be decommed due to the current problems with undercover operations, they may go back to the taurus and unmarked cruiser, these car will be auctioned off again to the taxpayer, netting even more money for the County, and of course the taurus will be brand new.

[fedup taxpayer.]

I'm being enlightened here, police are needed and deserve a decent salary,maybe not 100 a year, but it seems there is more going on than meets the eye.
Why should we the taxpayers suffer without adequate police coverage when there are all these deskjobs out there, can the C.E. cut some of these chiefs assistant to the assistant chief jobs and hire 1-2 civilians to replace them? Couldnt most of these supervisor to the supervisors jobs be streamlined?
Lets keep the patrol where it is, freeze their salaries for the next 8 years cut the fringe benefits of the executives,and streamline the chain of command that exist behind the close doors in headquarters.

[fed up taxpayer]

Depending on the command, anyone from lt and up may be assigned a nice take home car, ford taurus or winstar van for the family man, actually in the academy and inservice training(emt, range, evoc) the sgts get them too
Another foolish question, how does a sgt, a step above a flat foot get a personal use vehicle? These training fields outside of training their specific expertise, say for example a snow or rain day during the vehicle re-qualifier or the range, do they go out and patrol whenits cancelled, go home on their day, or do they hang out for 6 hours and take a early lunch?

[/quote] Another foolish question, how does a sgt, a step above a flat foot get a personal use vehicle? These training fields outside of training their specific expertise, say for example a snow or rain day during the vehicle re-qualifier or the range, do they go out and patrol whenits cancelled, go home on their day, or do they hang out for 6 hours and take a early lunch?[/quote]

They hang out. Read newspapers all damn day long. Entertain their unauthorized visitors. (wink wink) Go shopping. Look like their working during their lunch hours and split for home early. And hook up with their girlfriend so they can be home on time (wink wink) for dinner with the wife.

[comstat]

What a program like this will do in Suffolk is guarantee that quieter, more affluent neighborhoods get very little in the way of police presence, while poorer, more crime prone neighborhoods get an overwhelming police presence (something they will resent greatly
=============
That sounds like it makes sense to me. Instead of cops giving out parking tickets in low crime neighborhoods, they should be handling the gangs, drugs and violent crime in the high crime neighborhoods. That's where they belong. Sure not sitting behind desks in precincts waiting for something to maybe happen in a ritzy area.

Only ?????

First, doesn't seem fair. The rich neighborhoods are paying higher taxes -= and getting less services.

Second, isn't that gonna send the low lifes into the good neighborhoods to transact business?

Another foolish question, how does a sgt, a step above a flat foot get a personal use vehicle? These training fields outside of training their specific expertise, say for example a snow or rain day during the vehicle re-qualifier or the range, do they go out and patrol whenits cancelled, go home on their day, or do they hang out for 6 hours and take a early lunch?[/quote]

They hang out. Read newspapers all damn day long. Entertain their unauthorized visitors. (wink wink) Go shopping. Look like their working during their lunch hours and split for home early. And hook up with their girlfriend so they can be home on time (wink wink) for dinner with the wife.[/quote]

It's like this, some small commands like the EMT training unit the EVOC unit, Medical Evaluations have a Sgt. as the commanding officer. C.O.s rate a take home car. After all they might have to respond in the middle of the night and give an emergency EVOC course, EMT exam or in the case of medical evaluations he might have to respond to headquarters to make an on the spot line of duty determination. The answer is NOT. None of these positions NEED a take home car since I doubt even in the event of a 9/11esque incident would these positions necessitate them being able to respond lights and sirens anywhere. Besides for the most part they drive unmarked cars and as we've recently read these vehicles shouldn't be used for patrol duties (not that Sgt.s in these commands patrol anymore anyhow). It's just a perk that being the C.O. of a command allows. Detective Lt.s, Crime Control Lt.s Applicant investigations, and so on. Even when on paper they take away the car assigned to the C.O. of a small command lets say in Crime Control the boss just selects the best car out of the pool of vehicles assigned to Crime Control and just appropriates it unoficially for his/her personal use. Hmmmmmm I wonder why the surveillance unit of IA headed by M.G. hasn't surveilled other bosses to see if they are taking home cars they aren't supposed to? That won't ever happen, the rules only apply to the P.O.s not the bosses. Do as I say, not as I do. There are very few leaders among the lot. I guess thats why Levy had to take a has been who possesses 1950/60s policy concepts out of retirement from running Sports Plus.

Depending on the command, anyone from lt and up may be assigned a nice take home car, ford taurus or winstar van for the family man, actually in the academy and inservice training(emt, range, evoc) the sgts get them too
Another foolish question, how does a sgt, a step above a flat foot get a personal use vehicle? These training fields outside of training their specific expertise, say for example a snow or rain day during the vehicle re-qualifier or the range, do they go out and patrol whenits cancelled, go home on their day, or do they hang out for 6 hours and take a early lunch?

Well how the hell do you expect them to go to Larry's golf on Sunrise Hwy. in Oakdale on duty? Not that the then C.O. of the 3rd, now 5th EVER pulled behind that shopping pulled a civilian shirt over his uniform shirt and went in there on personal business. Don't worry the C.E.s office was notified and did NOTHING. Levy all talk, no action.

comstat
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 6:32 pm



Guest






What a program like this will do in Suffolk is guarantee that quieter, more affluent neighborhoods get very little in the way of police presence, while poorer, more crime prone neighborhoods get an overwhelming police presence (something they will resent greatly
=============
That sounds like it makes sense to me. Instead of cops giving out parking tickets in low crime neighborhoods, they should be handling the gangs, drugs and violent crime in the high crime neighborhoods. That's where they belong. Sure not sitting behind desks in precincts waiting for something to maybe happen in a ritzy area.

The problem with this is beside law enforcement SCPD are also 1st responders for medical and fire calls. The city has professional paid emt/fire, we dont so beside the crime that occurs in affluent areas, such as burgs, kids in their mommies bmws shooting paint ball guns everywhere, grand larceny auto, the police also respond for fire and aided calls.
Is suffolk going to institute a paid fire/rescue service to replace the police?

They hang out. Read newspapers all damn day long. Entertain their unauthorized visitors. (wink wink) Go shopping. Look like their working during their lunch hours and split for home early. And hook up with their girlfriend so they can be home on time (wink wink) for dinner with the wife.


Is that why you hit your daughter, she was tramping around being a badge bunny?