
Unions gifts masks, hand sanitizer to Third Precinct officers

The unions that represent Suffolk County police officers treated cops to hot dogs and burgers — along with masks and hand sanitizer — Thursday at the Third Precinct in Bay Shore.
Representatives from the Suffolk Police Benevolent Association, the Suffolk Detectives Association and the Superior Officers Association also delivered a decontamination unit that uses UV light to sterilize radios, cellphones, personal protective equipment and other items.
Louis Civello, PBA second vice president, said the afternoon barbecue was a way for union leaders to thank their members for their work on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, and to distribute the masks and sanitizer they need to protect themselves and their families.
“It has been difficult for our members as it has been for everybody,” Civello said. “As police officers we are used to dealing with danger but we are not used to bringing it home to our families.”
PBA president Noel DiGerolamo said earlier this week that Suffolk police were well prepared for the virus that had infected more than 70,000 people on Long Island. The department began stockpiling masks and other PPE in January, but that supply is finite. Civello said the masks and sanitizer distributed to cops in Bay Shore on Thursday is for their personal use, when they are not on the job.

Suffolk County police officers were treated to burgers and hot dogs, as well as personal protective equipment to keep them safe, on Thursday, May 7, 2020. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Civello said the pandemic had been challenging for police officers. Many of the calls police officers received involved people struggling with mental health issues caused by isolation.
PBA officials also delivered a decontamination unit manufactured and donated by GallettAir Inc., a West Babylon heating and air conditioning company. The unit, like nine others the HVAC firm donated to Suffolk police, was constructed from filing cabinets, a UV light and a timer, according to Carmine Galletta, the owner of the company. The device will allow police to sanitize equipment officers share, such as radios and tablets, as well as masks and other PPE.
The unions purchased the hand sanitizer from Long Island Spirits, a Baiting Hollow distillery that switched to manufacturing sanitizer.
“We were purchasing hand sanitizer from a company in Canada, but we switched when we heard about Long Island Spirits,” Civello said. “Now we are keeping our money on Long Island.”