Suffolk sheriff's Domestic Violence Bureau adds deputies, office space

More deputies are being added to the Suffolk sheriff’s Domestic Violence Bureau and the unit’s offices will be refurbished and expanded, a spokeswoman for Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. said.

The offices will be named to honor Kathy Germaine, a Holbrook woman whose 1992 shooting death by her estranged husband spurred county leaders to assign the task of serving protective orders in domestic violence cases to the sheriff’s office. For at least four years before that change, the person seeking protection was required to deliver the court order or find someone to do it.

Toulon is scheduled to announce the expansion Thursday at the Yaphank Correctional Facility. The Domestic Violence Bureau will increase from 20 to 28 full-time deputies, with two supervisors, said Toulon’s spokeswoman, Victoria DiStefano. That is a far cry from the early '90s, when protective orders were served by non-specialist deputies working overtime.

More resources and support

In an email Tuesday, the sheriff said expanding the bureau will allow domestic violence victims "the resources and support they need."

"It is frightening that we once had a procedure that turned away people asking for help, instead expecting them to handle it on their own," Toulon said. "It is clear that the system was broken, and it took a tragic loss for the County to make a change. And while Kathy Germaine's murder was an unfortunate catalyst for the Sheriff's Office taking on this role, there is no doubt that the incident may have saved countless lives over the past thirty years."

An order of protection forbids certain behavior, such as having contact with the person seeking protection. The court action can also include "stay-away" orders that forbid contact, and limited orders that forbid family and criminal offenses like harassing and assault, according to the state’s Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.

In 2023, the Suffolk police unit’s deputies served 5,287 court orders of protection and 3,468 Extreme Risk Protection orders, issued when a judge deems a person to be a danger to themselves or others and requires them to surrender any guns they possess. The deputies also seized almost 200 guns. In 2024 so far, they have served 3,065 orders of protection and 1,424 extreme risk orders, seizing 136 weapons.

Praise from survivors

In interviews, advocates for survivors of domestic violence on Long Island praised the staff increase and building expansion. Protective orders do not guarantee safety but, by promising criminal justice consequences for violators, can "absolutely" save lives, said Wendy Linsalata, executive director of Long Island Against Domestic Violence, a Ronkonkoma-based nonprofit.

"They need to get those orders served as quickly as possible," Linsalata said. Increased staffing will improve safety for survivors and the deputies themselves, she said.

"Serving orders of protection can put these deputies at risk," she said. "It’s a volatile situation when they’re serving these things, and the more staff the better."

While Linsalata said the need for protective orders appears to be growing — her own organization assists about 7,000 survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence per year — deputies handle the most.

"I don’t know how they do it, but they do it," she said, adding that the court documents "are served timely and efficiently."

Another advocate, Jennifer Hernandez, cofounder and executive director of Islandia-basead ECLI-VIBES, praised the expansion but said that protective orders needed to be used along with other strategies by courts, law enforcement and nonprofits like hers.

"You might have a case where an individual has violated an order of protection three, four, five, six times," Hernandez said. Statistically, she added, each new violation increases the chance for lethal violence.

LGBTQ community benefits

David Kilmnick, president of the LGBT Network, which operates the Long Island Anti-Violence Project, said the expansion could help LGBTQ clients who face domestic and intimate partner violence at rates equal to or higher than the general population but may be wary of turning to the courts or law enforcement for help.

"LGBT survivors face additional barriers like the fear of being outed to family or employers, and may have concerns about discrimination from law enforcement and limited access to inclusive shelters," he said.

Germaine’s sister is expected to attend Thursday’s announcement, and one of her sons may attend also, DiStefano said.

In 1992, Newsday reported that, before Germaine’s July 8 killing, a Family Court judge had denied a temporary order of protection against her husband, Thomas Germaine. The judge instead told her to have a summons served for him to appear in court with her for a hearing on whether she should receive an order of protection. She couldn’t find her husband to give him the summons and neither one appeared in court. Her case was dismissed.

Days later, Thomas Germaine visited the Patchogue construction company where she worked and shot her five times point-blank with a .357-caliber Magnum pistol.

At his murder trial, Germaine told the judge he had not intended to kill his wife. He changed his story, admitting his intention when the judge told him it was necessary to enter a guilty plea.

Sentenced in 1993 to 22 years to life in prison, Germaine was 76 in 2012 when he died in prison in upstate Coxsackie.