Suffolk PBA to ask feds to intervene in political spat

Suffolk County's police union officials said they plan to ask the U.S. Justice Department to intervene in an ongoing dispute over the Suffolk County Conservative Party's move to kick out hundreds of police officers who had registered with the party.

At a news conference Sunday across from the U.S. District courthouse in Manhattan, Noel DiGerolamo, second vice president of the Suffolk Police Benevolent Association, called the party's actions "unconstitutional" because police officers are being deprived of the right to join the party of their choice.

"It's absolutely preposterous that a police officer is going to be questioned about his loyalty and sympathy to a political party because of his occupation," said DiGerolamo, who was flanked by PBA officials from Nassau and New York City.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment yesterday.

Last year, a State Supreme Court justice ruled that the Suffolk Conservative Party was justified in rejecting almost 1,500 voters - mainly police officers and their families who joined the party.

Sunday, Suffolk union officials said they had urged members to join for philosophical reasons, also enlisting the help of Nassau and New York City police unions to reach Suffolk residents to join as well. But PBA e-mails last year indicated the campaign was aimed at blocking Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco's re-election bid on the Conservative ticket.

DeMarco remains highly unpopular with police unions for going along with Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's plan last year to save money by having sheriff's deputies take over the patrols on the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway that had been done by Suffolk police.

In his ruling, Justice Thomas Whelan decided the mass enrollments constituted a takeover attempt of the party. The union is appealing that 2009 ruling and a hearing date has been set for Sept. 20.

Since then, additional police officers and their families - including some who had been rejected - have joined or rejoined the Conservative Party, prompting the party to conduct a new round of hearings on the voters' sympathy and loyalty to the party's principles.

In a statement issued Sunday, Suffolk County Conservative Party chair Ed Walsh said the party was trying to defend itself against "the continuing illegal attempts by the Suffolk County PBA to raid the Conservative Party."

The union campaign was thwarted when DeMarco was cross-endorsed by Republicans and Democrats last year, and he was re-elected without opposition.