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Sheriff’s Office seeking candidates to join Community Advisory Board

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon announced Monday he plans to form a a Sheriff’s Community Advisory Board that will include members throughout Suffolk County.

The sheriff said he is asking residents to submit letters of inquiry to be considered for membership for the board, which will “give residents an opportunity to meet regularly with the sheriff and his staff.”

The board will be a “conduit for information to local communities and provide input on sheriff’s initiatives and policies relating to the office and its relationship with the general public,” according to a press release.

“Current events have demonstrated that people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds are frustrated with law enforcement, and they have some legitimate reasons to feel this way,” Sheriff Toulon said in a statement. “I am looking for a diverse group of people to discuss issues, learn about the Sheriff’s Office, and share ideas.”

The 10 board members will come from each the five East End towns as well as the five western towns and they will serve for a one-year term.

Anyone interested in serving on the board is encouraged to send a letter of inquiry to [email protected]. Prospective members must be Suffolk County residents who are 18 or older. The Community Advisory Board will meet bi-monthly in the evening at the Yaphank Correctional Facility and occasionally at other Sheriff’s Office locations in the county. Alternative meeting arrangements will be available for members to participate remotely.

A first meeting date has not yet been set.

Sheriff Toulon was the county’s first African American to be elected to a non-judicial countywide office in 2018. The Sheriff’s Office operates the correctional facility in Riverside as well as other law enforcement duties throughout the county.