News

Sheriff's Honors for One Who Dreamed of Joining the Ranks
May 20, 2022
Newsday

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
Long Island Media

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
People

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
April 14, 2022
TBR News Media

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
April 8, 2022
Newsday

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
April 4, 2022
Newsday

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...read more