page_title: Suffolk County Sheriff's Office
section_title: Duties
hierarchical_section_title: Suffolk County Sheriff's Office / Duties
caption_attribution_description: English: A Marked Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Unit is pictured in front of the Riverhead Correctional Facility.
context_page_description: The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is the oldest law enforcement agency in Suffolk County, New York, having been established in 1683. The Sheriff's Office currently employs over 1200 people, including 898 correction officers, 288 deputy sheriffs, and 130 civilian personnel. Its Office and Business Operations are located at the Riverhead Correctional Facility, 100 Center Drive South in Riverhead.
  The Sheriff of Suffolk County is the highest ranking Law Enforcement Officer in Suffolk County and is elected to the term of four years. In 2012, the Sheriff's Office became a New York State Accredited Law Enforcement Agency.
context_section_description: The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office:
  Provides Deputy Sheriffs who provide service and enforcement of civil actions, evictions and warrants through its Enforcement Bureau.
  Is responsible for deputy sheriffs patrolling and investigating all crimes committed on county-owned property such as county government office buildings and plays a leading law enforcement role in the Long Island Pine Barrens.
  Has a Countywide DWI Enforcement Team which consists of deputy sheriffs operating as Drug Recognition Experts (D.R.E.), which is funded by the STOP-DWI program.
  Issues pistol permits for the 5 eastern townships of Suffolk County through its Pistol License Bureau.
  Has a Warrant Squad where Deputy Sheriff Investigators are responsible for apprehending fugitives wanted on state and local warrants.
  The Juvenile Bureau tasks Deputy Sheriff Investigators with the investigation, arrest, and processing of all juveniles. The Juvenile Bureau has experienced a significant rise in juvenile related arrest after NYS implemented its Raise the Age laws.
  Operates an Emergency Management Section. During State and County emergencies deputy sheriffs are reassigned to work in the joint Suffolk County Emergency Management Section. The Sheriff and the County Executive are the two County Officials with a broad range of authority in declaring a State of Emergency.
  Operates a Domestic Violence Bureau.  Deputy Sheriffs assigned to this command serve and enforce the Orders of Protection; they arrest individuals charged with violating Orders of Protection and those with Family Offense related warrants.  The third function is to provide victims with a safe refuge by removing batterers from the home, seizing weapons and executing all arrest warrants against the perpetrators of domestic violence.
  Has deputy sheriffs assigned to several specialized sections, including K-9, Marine Patrol, a Dive Team, a Mountain Bike Unit, an ATV Unit, an Honor Guard, Air Support Unit, Grants Bureau, Warrant Squad, Criminal Investigations Bureau, a Special Response Team (SRT) consisting of tactically armed deputy sheriffs including a sniper section.
  Deputy Sheriff Investigators assigned to the Special Investigations Unit perform undercover narcotics investigations.
  Is the Downstate New York Coordinator for Project Lifesaver.  Project Lifesaver is a Countywide Emergency Locator Service capable of finding those diagnosed with a cognitive impairment (Alzheimer's, Dementia, Autism, Down Syndrome, etc.) which may cause them to wander and become lost.  Those enrolled in the program wear a one-ounce tracking device that can be tracked by specially trained Deputy Sheriffs.
  Deputy Sheriff Investigators work in specially created joint task forces such as the United States Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration TasK Force, Homeland Security Task Force, the East End Drug Task Force, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force JTTF
  Deputy Sheriff Investigators assigned to the District Attorney’s Office work in units such as the Heroin Task Force and Financial Crimes Bureau.
  Operates two Suffolk County correctional facilities (in Yaphank and Riverhead), where correction officers guard approximately 1,000 inmates. The Sheriff's Emergency Response Team (SERT), consisting of specially trained unarmed correction officers, responds to all emergencies inside the correctional facilities.
  Correction Officers in the Gang Intelligence Unit provide law enforcement with vital gang intelligence including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  Has uniformed deputy sheriffs assigned to securely transport inmates both locally and statewide.
caption: A Marked Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Patrol Unit is pictured in front of the Riverhead Correctional Facility.
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