Suffolk police reform plan is flawed
Critics contend that the Suffolk County plan to reform its police department is lacking. Credit: James Carbone
The Suffolk County Police Department has a trust problem, and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s police reform plan does little to solve it. The plan does take some steps in the right direction to improve and modernize the SCPD’s practices. However, it is missing the most vital component for building community trust — independent oversight.
The plan does recognize the importance of having mental health crises addressed by public health professionals, ending vehicle searches conducted solely on driver consent, making public raw data on traffic stops and other interactions, and requiring officers to respect the rights of nonbinary and transgender people.
But the lack of a Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) or inspector general's office, especially in light of Newsday's exposé of improper Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association campaign contributions given to Suffolk’s top government officials, leaves community members to wonder: Are our government officials bought and paid for by the PBA?
Over the past two years, the Police Benevolent Association has contributed more than $271,000 to political campaigns, including $53,000 to the Republican and Democratic county committees, and $30,000 to Bellone’s campaign.
In 2019, police union PACs spent over $830,000 in support of Bellone’s reelection bid. The PBA’s contributions to political campaigns strengthen its influence on the elected officials who negotiate their contracts. This is a gross abuse of power that costs taxpayers. This type of "big money" in politics should make community members question whether the lack of oversight in the county’s police reform plan is simply "the return" on the Suffolk PBA’s "investment."
Suffolk County has a long legacy of political corruption that has undermined the will of its people. Community members have not forgotten the abuses of former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke and the misconduct and cover-ups from former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota. Combined with the Federal Department of Justice necessitating a settlement agreement with the county over SCPD’s discriminatory practices in 2014, one would think that the Bellone administration would have run as fast and as far as it could toward police accountability and transparency.
Disappointingly, Bellone has refused to implement solid reforms such as developing a CCRB and instituting an inspector general, both of which are recommended within The People’s Plan as common oversight structures implemented in cities across the U.S. Instead, the county offers community members the Human Rights Commission, which is given neither subpoena nor disciplinary power. The "reform" plan continues to leave all investigative authority to the police department’s own Internal Affairs Bureau or to local district attorneys.
Repeatedly, the Suffolk IAB has demonstrated an inability to conduct proper, complete and timely investigations. Numerous depositions have shown that the IAB fails to properly interview officers about alleged incidents. Officers are told that the statements cannot be used against them for prosecution, and they get coached on providing written statements. Additionally, complainants have no representation, and often they and witnesses are not even interviewed.
The SCPD will never solve its trust problem as long as community members are denied the most basic levels of police oversight and are at the behest of police policing themselves. Our communities deserve better, and our governmental officials must guarantee appropriate oversight, even if it hurts the coffers of their campaigns.
Elmer Flores and Jennifer Capotorto are Long Island activists who contributed to The People's Plan.
