Read Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr.'s Data Driven Justice report. Data Driven Justice Data Driven Justice Community Portrait: A Conversation with Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr. of Suffolk County, N.Y. This Data-Driven Justice Community Portrait is the fifth in a series highlighting individuals who are championing cross-systems collaboration and data sharing within their jurisdictions to respond to the needs of frequent utilizers of justice, health and human services systems. This interview was edited for brevity. Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr. is the Sheriff of Suffolk County , New York on Long Island. He was born and raised in the Bronx in New York City, and his father and brother were both wardens on Rikers Island . As such, Toulon learned about the criminal justice system from a very early age; in 1982 he joined the New York City Department of Correction where he had a 22-year career in uniform serving in various positions in the Emergency Service Unit, Firearms & Tactics Unit and Compliance Unit. He retired as a captain due to health reasons. In 2014, he returned to the Department of Correction as the Deputy Commissioner of Operations overseeing the Intelligence Unit, Training Academy, Applicant Investigations Unit, Emergency Management and Compliance Units. Taking office in January 2018, Sheriff Toulon is the county’s first African American person to be elected to a non-judicial countywide office. He received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Monroe College, a master’s degree in Business Administration and a doctorate in Educational Administration from Dowling College. Q: Where do you get your passion for helping people involved in the criminal justice system? When I was a child, my father told me that his job as a warden was about rehabilitating people who were incarcerated; however, he also used the same moniker of “bad guys” that needed to be in jail. When I was a captain on Rikers Island, I would often tour our various facilities, talk to the people in our custody and find out why they became incarcerated and if they experienced substance abuse and/or mental health issues. I believe 85 percent of men and women that come into our facilities are individuals that have mental health and substance abuse issues, or they just made some poor choices. Many come from areas and families that experience multi-generational trauma due to community and family violence. When I became sheriff, I used this experience to affect change in my community. We can assist those men and women with the treatment they need and can connect them with resources in the community to continue care post incarceration. I am extremely passionate about ensuring people continue to receive this level of care while involved with the justice system. Q: What are some of the initiatives you’ve started to help people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders involved in the justice system? Here in Suffolk County, we created The Sheriff's Transition and Reentry Team (START), where we work with the judicial system, The Legal Aid Society and The Criminal Bar Association to offer case management and support to help address the needs of people in our custody and upon release. The START Resource Center is located at our Yaphank Correctional Facility and staffed by correctional officers. In our jails, we start reentry on day one of incarceration. We interview inmates at jail admission and have them complete a packet of information where we assess their needs and life goals. Officers and our partners support people with substance abuse treatment, education, job and resume assistance, social services enrollment, driver's license and identification issues, transportation, food, housing and clothing. We also provide referrals to community-based services upon release. We help people create resumes and conduct job searches and provide business attire for job interviews. We also provide transportation for interviews, as transportation can be a huge barrier in Suffolk County. We have identified employers who are willing to hire a formerly incarcerated individual and work with social services agencies in various communities to connect people to health care and continue treatment. We are trying to address structural barriers to reentry, and the staff has truly built trust among our community members involved in the justice system. In fact, with START, more than 350 people have returned to our resource center or reached out for further assistance who are no longer involved in the justice system. We also have a serious addiction treatment program and are very much involved in the drug court. We continue to talk to judges and defense attorneys on how we can improve. We can always do better, and I push my staff so that our office can mitigate crime before it occurs and reduce our jail population. Lastly, we partnered with Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare on our family reunification project to bring graduate-level interns to the jail to work with inmates and their families to improve relationships while people are incarcerated and when they are released. We know that family involvement can be key to a person’s success once they are no longer in our custody. Q: Who have been some of your most valuable partners in this work? We have worked with many community partners who have helped identify individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues. We created a satellite facility partnering with one of our service providers, Spin the Yard , to assist with transportation and networking with other programs to make sure people are receiving the assistance they need. In addition, since many of our female inmates are victims of human trafficking and have substance use disorders, The Empowerment Collaborative of Long Island is another important community partner, particularly for women and children. We also partner with many local advocacy groups and monitor data to understand where in Suffolk County there are hotspots of people suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues and how to best address it. We also use data analysis in our schools through a program called Deconstructing the Prison Pipeline , which seeks to improve policy and craft initiatives to prevent youth from getting involved in the justice system by helping to identify root causes of youth delinquency. Q: How is your office working with the community to address race equity for people involved in the justice system? First, I am always looking at data to help us understand the problem. As Sheriff, I have made it a priority for our office to use data to identify community members at risk of incarceration. We focus on factors such as demographics and ethnicity, education level and employment type. Do they have children? With these variables, we see where certain trends are occurring and can drill down to the root causes of some of the issues that our residents face before and after incarceration. Since last year (2020), we started a training course for fair and impartial policing not only for our deputy sheriffs and correctional officers, but also professional personnel. We have implemented customer service training for sworn and professional personnel that are interacting with the public. I do not, however, believe that a training course will really allow us to understand our own biases, so we have made it incumbent upon our supervisors to reinforce this training throughout our daily work. Since it is very difficult to change someone’s inherent views in just a couple training sessions, we conduct them regularly to at least recognize these biases and reinforce the need for change. There needs to be a basic understanding of respect from law enforcement to the people in our community and those that are incarcerated. The death of George Floyd was a tragedy, and law enforcement needs to find a balance when interacting with the community between who is an actual threat and who may be experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. Q: What more can Suffolk County do to help people living with mental illness and/or substance use disorders? What is needed not only for Suffolk County, but our nation, is investment in social services. People need help before they interact with law enforcement. By the time someone is incarcerated, the individual has most likely shown many red flags. The pandemic has caused a mental health and substance abuse crisis in this country and with so much trauma and disruption in our society today, the government needs to focus on increasing funding in our communities for social services. This would certainly lead to fewer negative interactions with law enforcement and less incarceration. We may be able to save not only a lot more lives but change people's lives so that families and communities are safer. Q: What inspires you about this work? I'm a two-time cancer survivor, so I probably shouldn't be here. My second battle was with pancreatic cancer and it has made me feel that I'm here for a purpose. I was a deputy commissioner at Rikers Island for 25 years and I didn't have the direct impact that I have now. I have been a resident of Suffolk County now for 31 years and I can see the impact I have on my staff and the individuals that are incarcerated in the community. This is what gives me joy because I can affect real change and help people. It motivates me every day. Q: Do you have any recommendations for other communities or advice for your peers? You can never have enough partners in this, whether it's NACo or law enforcement agencies, community partners or community members. I engage with our community to understand what various populations in Suffolk County are dealing with so I can understand what we need to do and identify potential and changing trends. As a sheriff, it is important to talk to law enforcement agencies and community partners throughout the country to see what they are dealing with and how to best prepare. Finally, humility is crucial. You need to talk to everyone and can never have enough engagement with people. There is much to learn from other people’s experiences. NACo would like to thank Sheriff Errol Toulon for speaking with us about his and Suffolk County’s efforts. He can be reached at Suffolk_Sheriff@suffolkcountyny.gov . This community portrait was created with support from Arnold Ventures as part of Data-Driven Justice , a project that aims to support local jurisdictions in using data to better align resources to respond to people who are frequent utilizers of justice, health and human services systems. This is a reprint from the National Association of Counties, NACo. Read this story on the NACo website.

Ready for a new career? Join the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. Click here to learn more about career opportunities and upcoming tests. Join the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURES Correction Officer I (English) Deputy Sheriff I (English) Correction Officer I (Spanish) Deputy Sheriff I (Spanish) Qualifications Salary & Benefits Physical Agility Exam Academy Training Hiring Process Professional Opportunities The Divisions of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Corrections Division The Corrections Division of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office is comprised of more than 806 Correction Officers who staff two county correctional facilities. The Corrections Division and its facilities are overseen by the Warden and his Deputy Wardens. Both facilities house minimum, medium, and maximum-security male and female inmates. The current Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead was built in 1969 and has undergone multiple additions and improvements over the years, resulting in its current capacity of 840 inmates. The facility has linear and podular housing units, a state-of-the-art medical/ dental/ mental health unit, a rehabilitation unit, and a visiting section. The Choose Your Path program for young men is housed at the Riverhead Facility. The Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Yaphank was built in 1961 and has also undergone multiple improvements and additions over the years, including a state-of-the-art addition in 2013 which added six podular housing units, modern medical/dental/mental health, visiting, and booking units, and renovations of existing housing areas. The current capacity at Yaphank is 976 inmates. The Sheriff's Addiction Treatment Program (SATP), the Veterans Reentry Program, the 55 and Older Pod, and the Choose to Thrive Program for female inmates are all housed at the Yaphank Facility. This facility also houses female inmates with their newborn babies in a fully equipped secure nursery. An increased focus on inmate rehabilitation accompanied by the reduction in inmate levels due to NYS bail reform legislation has created a unique opportunity to increase the number of programs available to inmates in the custody of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. The emphasis the Sheriff’s Office places on correctional rehabilitative programming has evolved over the last several years, with Correction Officers increasingly adopting a mindset that places value on rehabilitation and reentry work. While many non-profit organizations work in collaboration with the correctional facility to provide services to current and former inmates, Correction Officers have developed and now run many unique correctional programs. Police Division The Chief Deputy Sheriff oversees the Police Division. It includes the Enforcement Bureau, Headquarters Bureau, District Court Bureau, Family Court Bureau, Criminal Investigations Bureau, a Special Operations Bureau, and the Pistol License Bureau. The major responsibilities of the Headquarters Bureau are the transportation and security of inmates outside the correctional facility, general law enforcement services to the public, and support assistance to other law enforcement agencies. They have a Canine Unit and a Marine Unit which patrols the East End of Long Island. The District Court Bureau is tasked with the secure transportation of all inmates and detainees remanded to the custody of the Sheriff by any of the twenty-two courts working out of the Cohalan Court Complex in Central Islip. The Bureau oversees the main detention center housed at the 1st District Court complex and is responsible for the care and custody of new arrestees in the five western townships of Suffolk County as well as Suffolk County Correctional Facility inmates returning for court appearances. The District Court Bureau works closely with law enforcement partners of the Sheriff’s Office, defense attorneys, court personnel, and the District Attorney’s Office to ensure the court process proceeds efficiently. The Bureau transported a total of 24,544 prisoners in 2019. The Criminal Investigations Bureau is tasked with all criminal investigations within the confines of the Suffolk County Correctional Facilities. These include cases involving prison contraband, assaults, violation of orders of protection, death investigations, etc. In addition, the Bureau handles all felony cases developed by Deputy Sheriffs, serious motor vehicle crashes, aviation crashes at Gabreski Airport, and drug investigations, including undercover surveillance. The investigators within the Bureau undergo a multitude of training that includes death investigation, crime scene investigation, evidence handling, drug field testing, and motor vehicle collision investigation. Responsibilities for investigators include case management, evidence collection, arrest and warrant processing, interviews and statements, and crime scene management which includes fingerprint processing, photography, sketching, and scene narratives. Investigators from both the Police and Corrections divisions continually work with other agencies and on task forces such as the DEA and Heroin Task Force, to uncover crime in Suffolk County and the region. The Enforcement Bureau is comprised of the Civil Enforcement Section and Special Operations Section. Deputy Sheriffs assigned to the Civil Enforcement Section process property executions for enforcement against real and personal property, income executions, warrants to remove, warrants of arrest, orders of seizure, orders of attachment, service of D.W.I. forfeiture summonses for the County Attorney, enforcement of Health Commissioner orders, and all other actions issued out of any court in the county. The Special Operations Section performs a variety of duties including patrolling and responding to calls for service at the Suffolk County Gabreski Airport and other county facilities and traffic enforcement. The Sheriff’s Office Warrant Squad executes court-ordered Writs of Assistance in family offense and abuse and neglect cases, transports certain juveniles charged with crimes to court, and returns them to where they are housed. Deputy Sheriff Investigators assigned to the Warrant Squad execute warrants of arrest in both family court and criminal court cases. Investigators also coordinate with the county’s Child Support Enforcement Bureau to locate parents who have failed to pay court-ordered child support and assist police agencies in tracking down Fugitives from Justice. The Domestic Violence Bureau serves orders of protection that are created by the Family and Criminal Court systems. During the service of orders, Deputy Sheriffs are often ordered to seize firearms and other weapons in the protection of the defendants and respondents. The Domestic Violence Bureau served a total of 3,786 orders of protection in 2019 and 4,023 in 2020. It also seized a total of 282 firearms in 2019 and 378 in 2020. In 2019, Deputy Sheriffs were tasked with the service of Emergency Risk Protection Orders (ERPO). An ERPO is a court order issued when a person may be dangerous to him/herself or others. An ERPO prohibits a person from purchasing or possessing guns and requires the person to surrender any guns he/she already owns or possesses. The Domestic Violence Bureau also investigates cases of individuals who attempt to purchase a firearm in violation of an order of protection and arrests individuals charged with violating orders of protection and those with family offense-related warrants. The Special Operations Bureau is comprised of the Air Support Unit, Honor Guard, Stop-DWI Team, Bike Patrol, Emergency Management, Haz-Mat Decon Strike Team, Homeland Security, and Tactical Units that include the Sheriff’s Response Team and the Tactical Rifle and Containment Team. The Pistol License Bureau is tasked with the issuance of all pistol licenses for the five East End towns in Suffolk County. The towns include Riverhead, Southampton, Southold, East Hampton, and Shelter Island. Deputy Sheriff Investigators are responsible for conducting a thorough background check that includes fingerprint and arrest history checks, personal and character witness interviews, residency verification, and mental health checks on pistol license applicants. Operations Division The Operations Division includes Employee Benefits, the Communications Bureau, the Quartermaster Bureau, the Grants Bureau, the Accounting Bureau, the Personnel Investigations Bureau, Personnel/Payroll, Fleet Management, and Research and Development. The Chief of Staff oversees all bureaus in the Operations Division. Employee Benefits administers all benefits for employees as negotiated by the three bargaining units within the Sheriff’s Office. The Communications Bureau administers all Sheriff’s Office dispatching functions. The Quartermaster Bureau is responsible for the issuance and inventory maintenance of uniform items and assorted equipment for approximately 1,200 employees of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. The Grants Bureau locates state, federal, and private sector funding opportunities. The Accounting Bureau prepares the annual operating budget request for submission to the County Executive’s Budget Office. The Personnel Investigations Bureau is responsible for conducting confidential background investigations on all employee candidates for the Sheriff’s Office. The primary mission of the Payroll/Personnel Bureau is to monitor employee time and accruals and to ensure that all employees are paid accurately and in a timely fashion. Fleet Services is responsible for the maintenance of the “Fleet” which includes patrol vehicles, unmarked and undercover vehicles, trucks, buses, ATVs, boats, military surplus equipment, and military vehicles. The Research and Development Bureau facilitates decision-making, research, and timely responses to inquiries. These bureaus are staffed by Correction Officers, Deputies, and professionals.

Pastor Martir A. Benavides Chaplain Pastor Martir A. Benavides was born in San Miguel, El Salvador in 1974. He is married to his beautiful wife, Ana Benavides and has 2 daughters, Cesia and Ariela. Pastor Benavides graduated from the School of Theology of the Church of God in El Salvador in 1992 and became a Pastor for the Church of God in El Salvador from 1993-1995 and also served as the Secretary General for Region #3 for the Church of God. He was the Supervisor of Youth for the District of Santa Rosa de Lima, La Union in El Salvador. In 2004, Pastor Benavides became the National President of the Rock of Salvation Ministry until 2008. Currently, Pastor Benavides serves as the Founder and Pastor of Tabernacle of the Restoration to the Nations in Central Islip. He is a member of the Long Island Hispanic Pastor Association and a Director of the Koinonia Group. As a community leader, Pastor Benavides works with various organizations to bring different resources and programs to the community.

Captain John Rung Deputy Sheriff Captain John Rung is the Commanding Officer of the Sheriff’s Office Warrant Squad Bureau, Domestic Violence Bureau, Investigative Services, and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Section. Captain Rung is also in charge of many community relation programs. Captain Rung is a 25 year member of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. He joined the Sheriff’s Office in October of 1995 as a Corrections Officer working in the Riverhead Correctional Facility. He graduated valedictorian of his Corrections Academy class. In August 1996 he accepted appointment as a Deputy Sheriff. As a Deputy Sheriff, Captain Rung was assigned to various commands including the Civil Enforcement Bureau and Headquarters Bureau. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2005 and was assigned to the Headquarters Bureau as a road supervisor. It was during that time that Captain Rung became involved in the Homeland Security, Emergency Management, and Community Relation programs including the Sheriff’s Office Gang Resistance Education and Training Program. In 2011, Captain Rung was promoted to Deputy Sheriff Lieutenant and was named the Commanding Officer of the First District Court Bureau. Captain Rung initiated policies which increased supervision of Deputies, lowered incidents between staff and prisoners, and increased training opportunities available to Deputy Sheriffs assigned to District Court. Captain Rung has been an active member on planning teams for homeland security drills, is on the steering committee for the Suffolk County Incident Management Assistance Team, a member of the Suffolk County Emergency Preparedness Coordination Council, and a member of the Suffolk County Hazmat Decon Strike Force. His responsibilities includes coordinating with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies for security planning, anti-terrorism activities, emergency management, and Emergency Operations Center command operations. He holds the certification of a Certified Homeland Protection Professional by the National Sheriffs’ Association Institute for Homeland Security. He assisted in developing and currently administers Sheriff Toulon’s School Security Initiative which includes the Sandy Hook Promise Start with Hello and Say Something programs, Civilian Response to Active Shooter Course, Stop the Bleed, and School/Building Vulnerability Assessment program. He is also responsible for several other community programs including Sheriff’s Office Explorers and G.R.E.A.T. He played an integral part in designing and implementing an Employee Mentoring Program that helps guide new Deputy Sheriffs and Correction Officers on their professional journeys. Captain Rung received his Master’s Degree in Homeland Security Management from Long Island University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Dowling College, an advanced certificate in Homeland Security Management from Long Island University, and a certificate in Public Sector Leadership from Cornell University.

Press Contact: For all media or press inquiries, please contact the Public Relations Office. Vicki DiStefano Public Information Officer Office: 631-852-3436 Email: victoria.distefano@suffolkcountyny.gov ​ THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IN RECENT MEDIA: Press Releases PRESS RELEASES Aug 26 SUFFOLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MAKES SIX DWI ARRESTS Aug 23 TWENTY-FIVE SUFFOLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE DEPUTY SHERIFF RECRUITS SWORN IN Aug 12 SUFFOLK SHERIFF TO HOST BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLY GIVEAWAY 1 2 3 4 5 Media Clips TV Click on an image to watch the story: PRINT NEWS STORIES Click on an image to read the story: Top of Page Press Contact Information Press Releases TV News Reports Print News Stories