SUFFOLK CLOSEUP: Legislator Trotta Wants To Limit Political Activities Of Police

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Legislator Trotta At LegislatureSuffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta—a long-time Suffolk cop now retired—has introduced a bill that would prohibit members of the Suffolk County Police Department from, as its title declares, “engaging in political activity.”

His measure states that the Suffolk County Legislature “determines that legislation is needed in Suffolk County to limit the participation of police officers in the political arena in order to ensure public confidence in the Suffolk County Police Department and for effective maintenance of discipline and the preservation and promotion of the integrity and efficiency of the Police Department and its personnel.”

It also declares that “nothing herein shall a prevent a police officer from: registering and voting in any election; expressing an opinion as individual privately on political issues and candidates; signing political petitions as an individual or personally contribute to a candidate’s campaign, or otherwise participating fully in public affairs.”

It would “prohibit conduct” of a police officer to: “serve as an officer of partisan political parties or clubs in the County of Suffolk; assume an active role in management, organization or financial activities of partisan political clubs, campaigns or parties in the County of Suffolk; contribute any money, directly, or indirectly, to or solicit, collect or receive any money for any political fund or event; become a candidate for a campaign for a partisan elective public office affecting the County of Suffolk; solicit votes in support or in opposition to any partisan candidates within the County of Suffolk; use their official capacity to influence, interfere with or affect the results of any election; serve as a delegate to a political party convention affecting the County of Suffolk.”

And the list of “prohibited conduct” continues: “endorse or oppose a partisan candidate for public office in a political advertisement, broadcast or campaign literature within the County of Suffolk; initiate or circulate a partisan nominating petition within the County of Suffolk; address political gatherings in support of or in opposition to a partisan candidate within the County of Suffolk; serve as a member of a political party committee in the County of Suffolk, or: otherwise engage in prohibited partisan activities on the federal, state, county or municipal level.”

It might seem unlikely that a former Suffolk County Police Department officer would author such legislation. Trotta, of Fort Salonga—he grew up in Commack—for 25 years served as a uniformed officer and then a detective in the department. He retired in 2013 running that year successfully for the Suffolk County Legislature. His tenure as a cop included more than 10 years as a member of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force. He was named “Cop of the Year” in 1993 and “Detective of the Year” in 2001 by his department superiors. 

As a Suffolk legislator, Trotta, a Republican, has been highly concerned about political activities of Suffolk police unions—led by the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association—endorsing and giving the money as campaign contributions to Suffolk politicians. “The funds are collected illegally,” Trotta said in an interview last week. “Each police officer is forced to give a dollar a day—which comes to a million dollars a year.” Meanwhile, there are “police officers who say they do not want to contribute.” 

They “are essentially bribing politicians,” said Trotta, and in return get lavish contracts. The police unions by intervening in politics “rule by fear and intimidation,” he said.

The Suffolk County Police Department has an unusual structure. The department came into being in 1960 following a countywide referendum in 1958 in which voters were asked whether they wanted to disband their town and village police departments—the long-time police system in all of Suffolk—in favor of a county department. 

A majority of voters in the five East End towns voted no to that, along with voters in several western Suffolk villages, among them the large villages of Amityville and Northport and several smaller villages such as Nissequoque. 

So only in the western Suffolk “police district” where voters opted for the change is the county department the uniformed police force. However, the county still provided that many functions of the new Suffolk County Police Department—its headquarters operation, special units such as the Homicide Squad, Arson Squad, and its Marine Bureau, among others—be financially supported by all county taxpayers. Ostensibly, these components of the new department would provide assistance to the retained town and village departments. They are financed through the “general fund” of the annual county budget into which all Suffolk taxpayers pay.  

More next week on the Trotta legislation.

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.