Suffolk County's top cop walks off into retirement

Stuart Cameron, the Suffolk County police chief of department who took on the role of acting commissioner in May, walked out on Friday from police headquarters in Yaphank, capping off a 37-year career.

Accompanied by family members including his wife, two sons and granddaughter, Cameron, 59, did the traditional retirement "walkout" to applause and gave hugs to former and current officers along with agency brass.

"I lived my life, my early life just wanting to be a police officer," Cameron said to the crowd. "I truly know that I lived a dream."

Cameron took over as acting police commissioner following the resignation of Geraldine Hart, who left the police department after three years to become the head of security at Hofstra University.

Hart, a former FBI official, said seeing Cameron leave the department was "bittersweet" knowing how much he helped her when she first joined the department.

"I remember my first day, he had all the chiefs from the different precincts come in and meet me one by one, but all of that was just him behind the scenes," she said. "I was always very grateful for that and of course for his friendship."

Cameron, who will officially retire on Jan. 3, became chief of department on Nov. 12, 2015, after former chief James Burke was forced out and later sent to prison for beating up a prisoner and attempting to cover up the assault.

Cameron’s retirement comes after Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone nominated outgoing NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison on Monday to lead the nation’s 13th-largest police force with 2,400 officers. Harrison, 52, who spoke before Suffolk County lawmakers on Thursday, would be the first person of color to lead the police department. The county Legislature is expected to vote on Harrison’s nomination on Tuesday.

A police officer since 1985, Cameron started his career as a cop in the Second Precinct in Huntington.

A year later, Robert "Bob" Brown joined the department in 1986 and worked in the same precinct with Cameron. Brown of Smithtown, who retired in July as the department’s chief of patrol, called Cameron "the most dedicated person I’ve ever worked with."

"He set a great example for me and for everybody else that’s on the job now and for a long time to come," Brown, 58, said. "Stu’s a hard bar to reach up to. He’s not just a tall fellow but he sets a high bar as well."

Cameron has been involved in several high-profile cases, including the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996, as a sergeant, and later coordinated the crime scene at Ocean Parkway after the remains of several women were found in Gilgo Beach in 2010.

In his role as chief of the department, Cameron stressed language access and building relationships within the Latino community. In 2013, Suffolk police reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to overhaul policing of minority communities after a yearslong civil rights investigation that was prompted by the 2008 fatal stabbing of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant, by a group of teens in Patchogue.

Cameron’s relationships stretch outside the confines of Suffolk County. Seeing Cameron off was Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.

"I’ve known Stu for over 20 years," he said. "Stu’s a gentleman. He’s a professional at knowing to share information, work together, [and] collaborate together."

Before getting inside a 1985 department museum car, Cameron thanked everyone who came to see him off.

"It’s been a great ride," he said.