Officials: Dozens of LI cops, jail officers have coronavirus

Dozens of Long Island cops and correction officers have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday, despite extraordinary steps by Nassau and Suffolk law enforcement to prevent its spread.

Thirty-three Nassau police officers and 12 in Suffolk have tested positive for the virus, officials in both counties said. A Suffolk police civilian employee also tested positive, as did two correction officers in Suffolk and five in Nassau, officials said.

“This is the most challenging thing I’ve ever faced in my 32 years in law enforcement,” said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr., whose office operates jails in Riverhead and Yaphank.

Suffolk and Nassau's police commissioners both said this week their departments have taken aggressive steps to protect officers and the public from the pandemic that has shut down much of New York State and the country.

“We need to keep officers safe so they can keep residents safe,” said Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart. 

The measures, similar to those taken by Nassau police, include requiring residents to file reports for non-emergency incidents such as minor automobile accidents, lost property and theft by phone or online. Cops in both counties have been issued gloves, masks, gowns and other personal protection equipment, as well as wipes, hand sanitizer and other cleaning products. 

“My first responders can’t work from home,” Ryder said. “They don’t get a break."

Five correction officers at the Nassau County Correctional Facility in East Meadow are recovering at home after testing positive, said Sheriff James Dzurenda. Twelve inmates have been quarantined after displaying symptoms of the coronavirus, such as fevers and coughs, with five testing positive, Dzurenda said. 

The Suffolk sheriff’s office reported Saturday that a correction officer tested positive. On Wednesday, Toulon said a second correction officer had tested positive with the virus. A third correction officer who was awaiting the results of a test tested negative Thursday, but no inmates held at the county jails in Riverhead and Yaphank are positive for the virus, Toulon said. 

Public health experts and correction officials say jails are especially vulnerable because inmates, correction officers and staff share cramped spaces for long periods of time. Some public health experts and prisoner rights advocates are urging authorities to release older prisoners, defendants awaiting trial for nonviolent crimes, and those being held for probation or parole violations. District attorneys and courts decide who may be released. 

Dzurenda said Nassau court administrators Wednesday sent his office a list of 22 inmates they were considering for release. Five of those inmates had already been released and 17 are under review, Dzurenda said. 

Toulon said Suffolk prosecutors are reviewing files to determine which inmates might be eligible for release.