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Thursday, February 29, 2024 ~ Volume 69 ~ Issue Number 19 ~ $1.00
Romaine Announces Promotions, Top Positions for SCPD
Credit - Matt Meduri
By Matt Meduri
Commissioner Robert Waring (center) with promoted members of the SCPD and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (left). Inset: Belinda Groneman sworn in by County Clerk Vincent Puleo.
Election years nowadays are dominated by discussions of maintaining public safety and fostering transparent, respected police forces. Last year’s local 2023 elections were no exceptions, with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) running on a platform of public safety and major staff overhauls to the Suffolk County Police Department. The major objective for Romaine was to fill positions within the department that were left vacant by the administration of former County Executive Steve Bellone (D-West Babylon). The vacancies not only accounted for a slimmer police force, but also a budget vacuum, as taxpayer dollars continued to fund a police budget that was not being adequately represented, from retirements in higher leadership to less rank-and-file officers on patrol. Last Thursday, at the Police Headquarters in Yaphank, Romaine was joined by Police Commissioner Robert Waring, members of the SCPD, and members of the Suffolk County Legislature, all of whom ran alongside Romaine on a ticket of promoting and maintaining public safety.
“It is a great day for Suffolk County because we have a great police department,” said Romaine. “But recently we’ve had a lot of retirements and we’ve had positions that were in the budget that we all pay taxes for that were left vacant. In fact, last year I pointed out that fifty-two positions that were listed in the budget for detectives were left vacant, despite the fact we were paying taxes towards those positions. I don’t believe in budgets like that. I believe if you put a position in the budget and you fund it, and you charge taxpayers for it, you fill it. And we need these positions. So today, we are going to promote sixty-eight people in this department.” Romaine also said that an ongoing class has 129 officers in it, and in the summer, the class will exceed 200 officers. Romaine listed the positions slated to be filled: three deputy inspectors, a captain, six lieutenants, two detective sergeants, thirty sergeants, and twenty-four detectives.
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Continued on page 3