SUFFOLK COUNTY            SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Employee Benefits

 

Established in November 2000, Employee Benefits is an Administrative Section overseen by the Employee Relations Director to execute the personnel and human resource functions of the Sheriff’s Office and assist in implementing Office policy related to personnel issues.  Personnel files for all current and former employees are maintained in this office according to the Sheriff’s guidelines. The Employee Relations Director assists in representing the Sheriff at contract negotiations, grievance and arbitration hearings and labor management meetings.  The Director oversees the implementation of the terms and conditions of all the Sheriff’s Office employee contracts.  

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The Employee Benefits Section administers all benefits for employees as negotiated by the three bargaining units within the Sheriff’s Office: the Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees, the Suffolk County Correction Officers Association, and the Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs Police Benevolent Association.  All enrollments and changes in employee benefits, such as health insurance, benefit fund, life insurance and the retirement system are processed to keep all Sheriff’s Office employees benefits up to date.  Prospective retirees receive pension estimates and benefit information to prepare them for retirement.  All employment verification requests are certified and employees are assisted and advised regarding any problems encountered with their benefit providers.  Beneficiary, marital, family, and address changes are routinely processed by the Employee Benefits Section.  Compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act is also monitored and ensured.  Employee benefit information is provided in a seminar format to each group of new and prospective Deputy Sheriff and Correction Officer candidates. Canvassing, interviewing, and participating in the selection process to fill vacant professional positions are all a part of fulfilling the duties of the Employee Benefits Section.  

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Communications Bureau

 

The Communications Bureau is responsible for administering the Sheriff’s Office 911 and dispatching functions. The Bureau also provides support for the Corrections Division of the Sheriff’s Office in addition to numerous Federal, State and local agencies when needed. In 2019 the Bureau issued 15,321 blotters to the Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheriff Units. 

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The Communications Bureau is comprised of 12 Public Safety Dispatcher I’s, 3 Public Safety Dispatcher II’s and 1 Public Safety Dispatcher III. The PSD’s are also responsible for the entry and updating of Orders of Protection, transmitting and receiving of messages through the eJustice Integrated Portal, conducting criminal history checks and preserving and cataloging all radio and telephone communications within the Bureau.   

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Grants Bureau

 

The Grants Bureau was established in 1993, with the mandate to locate state, federal and private sector funding opportunities. We investigate the aptness of funding programs for Sheriff’s Office initiatives, complete or assist in the completion of grant applications of interest to appropriate sections within the Office and render technical assistance to other agencies applications upon request.  After receiving an award, the Grants Bureau writes all legislative paperwork and is responsible for all reporting requirements.

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Research / Development

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The Sheriff's Office has developed an organized system of information storage, retrieval and review which is part of the overall research and decision making capacity, relative to both inmate and operational needs.This bureau facilitates decision making, research and timely responses to inquiries. It is concerned with the total flow of data that reaches the administrative staff to assist them in planning future policy and direction and to control resources and activities.

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While the primary goal of the Research and Development Bureau is to provide statistical, legal and budgetary information for use in making management decisions, the bureau is also designed to perform five distinct functions:

1. Coordinate and Formulate the Office’s Annual Operating and Capital Budget Requests

2. On-going Sheriff’s Office research;

3. Information for Administrative/Management decision making;

4. Inmate population statistics; and

5. Rapid response to ad hoc inquiries.

 
Collecting statistical information about the inmate population has long been a responsibility of this bureau. Using the inmate population and other data collected, this bureau is responsible for refining and analyzing this information in order to assist in identifying specific problem areas and broad correctional trends. These research endeavors have provided critical feedback and will create a broader, more solid base on which to develop correctional policy. The bureau consists of a Lieutenant and a Principal Clerk, who are responsible for completing all of the tasks assigned to it over the course of the year.

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Accounting Department

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The Accounting Bureau prepares the annual operating budget request for submission to the County Executive’s Budget Office.  Our office is responsible for disseminating the adopted budget to the various units within the Sheriff’s Office, and maintaining oversight of departmental spending to ensure that spending remains in accordance with the budget throughout the year.  All purchases of goods and services are initiated through the Accounting Bureau either by direct purchase or via Suffolk County Purchasing by entry of a requisition for a purchase order.  In 2019, our office processed 2,064 direct purchases and entered 613 requisitions, which resulted in our office processing 2,677 payment vouchers for vendor invoices.

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Personnel Investigations Bureau

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The Personnel Investigations Section is responsible for conducting confidential background investigations on all employee candidates for the Sheriff’s Office.  In addition to Sheriff’s Office employees, i.e. Deputy Sheriffs, Correction Officers and professionals, this section also investigates all other county employees, volunteers, interns, etc. who enter the Correctional Facility.  We also do investigations for employee candidates for other departments.

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Depending upon the position an individual is being investigated for, inquiries are sent to all, or some, of the following, as applicable:  numerous police agencies, New York State Department of Mental Health, military, schools and past employers.   F.B.I. and D.C.J.S. fingerprints are also taken for each individual.  We additionally make an internal inquiry, within our agency, on all individuals being investigated.  The internal inquiry consists of a record check, within the various sections of our Office, i.e., Radio Room, B.C.I., Record Room, Civil Bureau and Internal Affairs.  For Deputy Sheriff and Correction Officer candidates an enormous amount of time (clerical and investigative) is spent preparing for and holding seminars, as well as conducting the background investigations. Numerous interviews, i.e. employers, neighbors, spouse, family, etc. are conducted regarding candidates for these positions.  A limited background investigation is provided for all other individuals.

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Payroll / Personnel

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The primary mission of the Payroll/Personnel Bureau is to ensure that all employees are paid accurately and in a timely fashion.  In 2019, the Payroll/Personnel staff consisted of 7 full time professionals, 3 of which are new to the Payroll/Personnel Bureau.  The Payroll/Personnel staff prepared and distributed 21 special and 26 bi-weekly payrolls totaling to $1.73 Million and paid, on average, 1,297 employees in 2019.  The Sheriff’s Office is composed of employees in the following bargaining units: the Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff’s Benevolent Association, the Suffolk County Correction Officers Association, the Association of Municipal Employees, as well as Bargaining Unit 21 which includes all Management Personnel.

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The Payroll/Personnel Bureau is responsible for maintaining the Sheriff’s Office Position Control pursuant to Civil Service Rules and Regulations, implementing all salary changes for current employees that may take place due to assignment/shift changes or promotions, processing all new hires on the on the County Payroll System, PPS, as well as processing all the employees who separate from service.  Processing these separations involves pro-rating accruals, as well as pre-auditing six years of time and accruals to be paid out.  This information is then sent the Suffolk County Department of Audit & Control for final audit and approval of accrual payouts.  

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In addition, the Payroll/Personnel Staff is responsible for validating leave taken, tracking donated accruals, military time, half pay eligibility and usage, checking attendance rosters, overtime payments, computing accruals, running regular and special payrolls, employment verifications, reporting wages to the  New York State Employees Retirement System, as well as, maintaining a personnel/payroll file on each employee, where all paperwork is scanned and retained on the Sheriff’s Office confidential servers.

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Fleet Management

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Fleet Services is responsible for the maintenance of the “Fleet” which includes patrol vehicles, unmarked and undercover vehicles, trucks, buses, ATV’s, boats, military surplus equipment, and military vehicles.  

We practice strict adherence to NYS DMV standards of repairs. We perform preventative maintenance on every vehicle, maintain records such as daily check list, and ensure officer safety. Fleet staff strives to stay current with industry knowledge in order to maintain the equipment with efficiency. We are always performing preventative maintenance in order to prolong the life of each piece. Fleet Service is also responsible for ensuring that the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office vehicles and equipment meet the federal, state, and county safety and regulatory mandates. Our additional responsibility is for the purchase, design, and upfit of new vehicles. We also track cost and time of the repairs with a state of the art fleet management software program. 

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We have developed a relationship with  “ARI,” an independent national wide automotive company, that helps us service our vehicles should they have a mechanical breakdown outside our geographical area. The staff of fleet services is also responsible for the towing, recovery, and impound of vehicles. We are responsible for snow removal from the Riverhead facility parking lots.   

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Fleet Services is called upon to work closely with other county departments, outside law enforcement agencies, U.S. government and the NYS DMV. In addition, we are called upon to negotiate with the county fleet liaison for the amount and dollars needed to update and maintain the fleet of vehicles. Fleet Services is also responsible for the monitoring of vendors who do our outside repairs ( i.e. collision work and heavy truck repairs).