Levy Attempts to Debunk PBA Myths

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy downplayed the latest shots by Police Benevolent Association-supporting legislators over the recent wave of crime in the county Monday afternoon.

This was in response to County Legislators Kate Browning and Ed Romaine, who on Friday issued a media advisory declaring that there was an "… increase in violent crime and the need for more police …" within the Seventh Precinct.

Levy made it clear that the most obvious scare tactic is the glaring headline of a "40 percent increase in violent crime," which is skewed by a very low sampling period of two months and small numbers, according to a statement sent by Levy's staff.

The increase within the Seventh Precinct is attributed to 10 additional robberies and one additional aggravated assault over the first two months of 2009 versus 2010.

Never one to shy from a stand-off, Levy listed the myths he thinks surround the PBA and the people who back the organization. This verbal fight has been going on for over two years. It's height was in the winter of 2009 when the PBA and Levy exchanged words through radio adds. Levy took it personal when the PBA called out his wife, saying her business had direct connections with Suffolk County government, thus causing Levy to become very angry.

Levy said the Seventh Precinct continues to remain fully staffed – as it has been since shortly after he took office – and has not experienced "staff reductions" or "redeployments" as the legislators alleged in Friday's media advisory, his staff said.

He went on to say that the Seventh Precinct was a skeletal crew before Levy took office in 2004 and he and Police Commissioner Richard Dormer implemented full staffing, increased school resource officers and added two sectors within that precinct.

As for the myth of the police class, Levy labeled that situation as "laughable." He said the legislators attempted to pin crime statistics on what they called his "refusal to hire police officers budgeted."

The county executive said legislators are disingenuously suggesting that their budget plan last fall would have had 200 officers out on the street today.

"The fact of the matter is, even if we started a class on January, the officers would still be in the academy today," Levy said in a statement. "Furthermore, Legislator Browning and friends are making this difference of 30 officers in this first class as monumental, when in reality 30 officers would represent a one percent increase in the total number of sworn officers in the department."

Levy, who has been linked to running for Governor of New York, also blasted the legislators' citing of "…the recent redeployment of resources to address spikes in crime in Brentwood and Central Islip" as hurting their community.

"Just last week, Kate Browning was outside my office at a PBA-sponsored rally which was ostensibly to show support for enhanced crime fighting efforts in those communities," said Levy, again in a statement. "This week, she is falsely pitting her community against others communities, and it is a perfect example of the type of parochial, 'on-a-whim' micromanaging that would take place if Legislator Jack Eddington's proposal was ever approved."

Suffolk County legislator Tom Muratore (4th district) said Levy should define what fully staffed actually means and if he hired the originally discussed police class, than 50 percent would be trained by now.

The number of 2,512 police officers that Levy mentioned on Monday being part of Suffolk County's patrol is skewed, Muratore said, because, "in reality there are less then 1,700 who are police officers in the department," capable of making arrests and making a difference on the street.

"Therefore, if the County Executive had hired the 200, that would represent a 17 percent increase in patrol," Muratore said. "In reality there are too few police officers doing too much multitasking in the department.

"In essence too many police officers are wearing too many hats. I don't think Legislator Browning is pitting her community against others, nor is Legislator Romaine. They are just issuing concerns throughout their districts."