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Suozzi & Levy to pull county patrol units from state-run Roads in face of state budget cuts
Long Island's two County Executives today proposed to begin pulling their county Highway Patrol functions from state roads – including the Long Island Expressway (LIE) and Sunrise Highway – in the wake of continuing budget cuts from New York State. The County Executives said that proposed cost shifts from New York State – including a two percent across the board reduction in revenue sharing to counties – are forcing counties to find ways to increase revenue and decrease expenditures. In Suffolk, according to police officials, 61 officers are assigned to Highway Patrol. In Nassau, 8 cars are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 62 officers and supervisors are assigned to the Long Island and Seaford Oyster Bay Expressways in Nassau County. Each county spends approximately $12 million annually to patrol state highways in the county, while State Troopers throughout the rest of New York perform this function. On Long Island, State Troopers patrol only the parkways and county police officers patrol the other major state roads such as the LIE and Sunrise Highway. "For far too long, both Nassau and Suffolk County resources have been used to patrol state-run roads. We are struggling to meet the mandates Albany is forcing down on the local level and yet Long Islanders currently send $3 billion more to Albany in income taxes than we get back in state aid," said Suozzi. "Property taxes are just too high and we cannot afford to continue absorbing costs that the State should be paying for while they continue to cut funds coming to Long Island."
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