BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — Suffolk County officials on Monday announced they are hiring the most police officers in the county’s history – and some may be NYPD members leaving over the city’s vaccine mandate.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and acting Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron announced a total of 705 law enforcement officers will be hired over the coming weeks and “462 of them will be joining the Suffolk County Police Department.”
On Facebook, Bellone said the hiring will help Suffolk County continue to see a decline in crime year over year.
“In Suffolk County, we have opposed the slogan, ‘Defund the Police,’ and for good reason,” Bellone wrote.
“Unlike spikes in crimes in New York City and elsewhere during the pandemic, total crime in Suffolk has dropped 6.8 percent year to date, and robberies are down 19 percent. The infusion of new police officers will help maintain Suffolk’s status as one of the safest suburban counties in the country,” he continued.
During a press conference, Bellone did say that a large amount of NYPD officers have been calling to see if they could move to Long Island and work there, and it’s possibly because they are upset over mandates.
Unlike in New York City, cops in Suffolk County are not required to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I’m not going to get into the mind of what somebody's motivation for why you may want to come to Suffolk County or not,” Bellone said. “We're going to evaluate individuals and work to strengthen the Suffolk County Police Department and law enforcement here based on our needs.”
A 20-year veteran of the NYPD told the New York Post that NYPD officers “who don’t want to get vaccinated, they’re going to run to Suffolk County.”
The source said Suffolk County is “the lotto” for police officers in the New York area, as officers’ wages nearly double to $155,000 after 11.5 years on the job.
He added that even if Suffolk eventually mandated vaccines, the increase in pay and work conditions would make up for it.
As of Friday, the NYPD had an 84% vaccination rate, according to officials. New York City workers faced a Friday evening deadline that day to get vaccinated before Monday's vaccine mandate was set to kick in.
According to Bellone, the incoming recruits would have needed to take the police examine in 2019.
Meanwhile, Bellone said Suffolk County is also focused on getting more minority officers into the police department, including 10% who are Spanish speaking.
The recruits will also be the first to wear body cameras as part of their uniforms, as soon as they hit the streets.
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