Politics & Government

Suffolk Notebook: Cops Double Down on Buckling Up

Checkpoints to be set up in late May to catch violators.

The Suffolk County Police Department this week signed up to participate in the state’s Buckle Up New York Click It or Ticket campaign, an effort by law enforcement to crack down on seat belt violations across New York.
With Suffolk on board, that means local residents could find themselves very unlikely to get off with a warning if stopped for not wearing a seat belt from May 20 through June 2.

Police are expected to set up checkpoints to catch unbuckled drivers and passengers on the roads.

“Fastening your seat belt takes seconds and it can save your life,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Edward Webber said in a statement. “We have seen first-hand the deadly consequences of what happens when someone chooses not to buckle up and we are reminding drivers and passengers the importance of taking the extra step of being safe on the roadways.”

Plan a Park Prowl

The county this week dubbed June 27 as Discover Suffolk County Parks Day, giving county residents access to Suffolk parks at a discounted rate for one day so that they might see what they’ve been missing.

Parks will charge locals “Green Key” rates on the 27th, the price paid by residents who have already purchased county passes. For example, prices at beaches are normally $8 for “Green Key” holders, and $15 for folks without them, or $6 at inland parks versus $13 for non-cardholders.

Breaking Down the Sex Offender Registry

In a police community meeting Wednesday in Huntington, Suffolk Detective Sherry Ness said that as of earlier this week, the county had 533 Level 1 offenders, 308 Level 2 offenders and 173 Level 3 offenders – the most serious.

"Numbers are expected to increase 8 to 10 percent because of extended registration and increase in registerable offenses,” Ness said.

She noted that while the police cannot disseminate information about sex offenders, residents can look up Level 2 or Level 3 cases on the state's official registry. Level 1 offenders are not listed.

Spota at LIMBA

Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota will speak at the next meeting of the Long Island Mid-Suffolk Business Action group. The May 31 event, held at the Holiday Inn on Veteran’s Memorial Highway in Ronkonkoma, kicks off at 8 a.m. Call 631-757-1698 for details.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here