Editorial: Keep patrol issue at bay

The heated battle over who should patrol the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway went into a much-needed dormant phase before the election. It's too early for that beast to wake up again.

The state has declined to reimburse Suffolk County for patrolling the two state roads, so former County Executive Steve Levy chose another cost-saving strategy in 2008: replacing highway patrol cops with deputy sheriffs, who make less money.

The Police Benevolent Association fought that through the state Public Employment Relations Board and lost. Then, last fall, Levy made a deal with the deputies: They get to patrol the roads until 2017, but they delay until 2015 receiving half of the $8 million in retroactive pay they won in an unrelated contract arbitration.

Now that Steve Bellone is county executive, he'll face pressure to revisit the issue. But Bellone is correct to focus on bigger matters and leave this one for later. For one thing, he faces tough contract negotiations with the PBA, which backed his campaign. So this issue ought to remain on the table as a collective bargaining chip.

Another question is the actual savings. That's far from clear. Before Bellone makes any long-term decision on this, he must find a reliable number that takes into account all the costs and savings of this arrangement.

Figuring out the budget and the 600 county positions funded for only six months are problems enough. For now, the deputy v. cop struggle should stay on hold.