News

Sheriff's Honors for One Who Dreamed of Joining the Ranks

May
20
2022

Two years after Philip Joseph “PJ” Fusaro’s death due to COVID-19, his memory continues to live on as family, schoolchildren and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office celebrated his legacy Friday in his hometown of Shirley.

Donna and Phil Fusaro, PJ’s parents, were at times holding back tears during a ceremony at Nathaniel Woodhull Elementary School as Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. presented them with a special badge and posthumously named their son an honorary K-9 deputy sheriff.

Fusaro, a horticulturalist and animal lover who family members say was beloved in his community and dreamed of joining the sheriff's office K-9 unit, died May 3, 2020, after battling COVID-19. He was 25.

Donna Fusaro, a teaching assistant at Nathaniel Woodhull Elementary School, told Newsday after the ceremony that her son was “the love of my life.”

“My son was the most selfless, giving person you would want to meet,” his mother said. “He was the guy that you called when you were in trouble at 3 o’clock in the morning and he would get out of bed and go, ‘No problem, I’ll be right there.’ He was just that guy. He was just amazing.”| read more ››

Suffolk Sheriff Hosts Active Shooter Training For Suffolk Legislature

May
20
2022

On Friday, May 20 the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office taught an active shooter training and “Stop the Bleed” training for the Suffolk County Legislators and legislative staff. Participants learned strategies to protect themselves and loved ones in the case of an emergency or active threat situation.

Deputy Sheriff Investigator William Weick from the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office presented the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) course, which focuses on the "Avoid-Deny-Defend" strategy to best prepare residents should they ever find themselves in an emergency threat situation. Participants were also certified in “Stop the Bleed,” a basic trauma care course the teaches participants how to stop or slow bleeding during emergencies.| read more ››

New York Sheriff Launches Database for Finding Lost Pets, Hopes it Will Become a National Model

May
4
2022

A New York sheriff is looking to make a nationwide impact with his new initiative for keeping pets in the community safe.

On Tuesday, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. introduced a new database to help local pet parents quickly locate missing animals.

The Lost Pet Network will enroll pets into a database and provide owners with a printed pet identification card. If an enrolled four-legged friend goes missing, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office will send an alert with the pet's information to deputy sheriffs and local municipalities. Information about the lost pet will also be shared on social media accounts to aid in the animal's return.

Suffolk County sheriff creates database for missing pets, hopes it will become a national model

"Centralized and organized because right now there is nothing in Suffolk County to really assist pets that are lost," Toulon said during a briefing in the Town of Islip. "Not only would we alert our staff that may be on patrol in certain areas, but also we would post it on social media, we would notify shelters."| read more ››

One-on-one with Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon

Apr
14
2022

This week, TBR News Media had an exclusive interview with Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. (D). During our conversation with the sheriff, he addressed his battles with cancer, the challenges of steering the sheriff’s department through a pandemic and his surprising place in the history of the New York Yankees.

Sheriff, what is your professional background and how did you land in the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office?

I started my career in 1982 as a New York City correction officer and I worked with the New York City Department of Corrections for 22 years on the uniform side. From 1982 until 2004, I worked on various assignments in numerous jails throughout the department. We had almost 25,000 inmates in our city system back then. I worked in our emergency services unit for almost 10 years. I was a captain there and also a captain in our detectives unit for almost three years before I retired. I also worked in the compliance division toward the end of my career.| read more ››

A Tireless Advocate for Change, Delores Quintyne Dies at 88

Apr
8
2022

Delores Quintyne’s name is synonymous with activism on Long Island.

Whether it was fighting racial discrimination in housing in Nassau County or pushing for better conditions for migrant workers in Suffolk County, Quintyne was front and center as a tireless advocate for change.

“She always wanted to help everybody,” said her daughter Madeline Quintyne-McConney of North Babylon. “She was mom to everyone in the community.”

Quintyne died April 8 from heart disease at the Mary Ann Tully Hospice Inn in Melville. The longtime North Amityville resident was 88.| read more ››

Suffolk Launches New Website to Help Small Businesses

Apr
4
2022

Suffolk County has launched a new website to help small businesses and startups access potential government aid and cut down on bureaucratic processes for those looking to expand.

The site will act as a hub for county businesses and will serve as Suffolk’s center for business development needs and services. Business owners will be able to access resources on the county, state and federal levels of government, including accessing loans from the Small Business Administration, pandemic relief programs, tax incentives and grant funding opportunities.

For more information on the site’s tools, visit SuffolkCountyNY.gov/BusinessHub.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has created incredible challenges for small business, and while large corporations have received substantial government support, our small businesses have not been given as...| read more ››

Suffolk Sheriff Toulon Appointed to NYS Municipal Police Training Council

Apr
1
2022

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. was recently appointed by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to the New York State Municipal Police Training Council. The eight-member Municipal Police Training Council promulgates minimum training requirements for newly-appointed police and peace officers and a course of training for police officers appointed to supervisory positions.

“I am honored to be appointed by Governor Hochul to serve on the New York State Municipal Police Training Council,” said Sheriff Toulon. “I look forward to the opportunity and to be able to bring to the table my knowledge of state-of-the-art training techniques to help ensure that our law enforcement officials across the State are best equipped to protect and serve their communities.”| read more ››

Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. Sworn in to a Second Term

Mar
18
2022

Space in the Yaphank Correctional Facility will be used to expand a program that helps find jobs and homes for inmates after their release while doubling as a first-of-its-kind intelligence network where officials can share information with leaders of other jails, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon. Jr. announced Friday as he was sworn into office for his second term.

Toulon, the county's 67th sheriff, also announced plans to form a pair of task forces focusing on mental health and substance abuse among inmates and the community at large. Statistics show that 60% of the state's inmates have been diagnosed with mental health issues.

"There is both a drug and mental health epidemic on Long Island and I want to do all I can to help solve it," Toulon said during his inaugural address in Brentwood. "In the coming months, I will be creating a robust mental health initiative to try to expand access to services, drug and rehabilitation programs inside and outside of the jail to help put an end to this tragic cycle."| read more ››

Suffolk Sheriff's Office Donates Hundreds of Bulletproof Body Armor to Ukraine

Mar
7
2022

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is donating nearly 450 pieces of bulletproof body armor to Ukraine.
The four pallets of armor will be donated along with medical supplies, sleeping bags and other essentials.
The necessities were collected during the Long Island-Ukraine Emergency Drive.
"We stand with the people of Ukraine and we want to offer our help any way that we can and I'm proud to announce that the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is able to step up and provide materials that can help keep them safe," says Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.
College Hunks Hauling Junk is delivering the donations to a New York City processing center where it will be shipped to Ukrainians fighting against Russia.| read more ››

Babylon Town Sets $25G Fundraising Goal to Help Ukrainian Refugees

Mar
5
2022

The Town of Babylon is launching a fundraising effort for Ukraine that aims to collect $25,000 through the town’s businesses for refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.

Supervisor Rich Schaffer said the town’s Industrial Development Agency will coordinate the effort by reaching out to IDA clients, local chambers of commerce and the general business community.

"We felt that the monetary collection was the best way to do it," he said, noting existing clothing and medication drives.

The money will be given to the Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Church in Lindenhurst, which Schaffer said will use a charity to distribute it to refugee assistance groups in Poland and other neighboring countries where an estimated 1 million Ukrainians are now living. The goal...| read more ››