ShotSpotter Takes Next Step Towards Huntington Station

Legislature adopts Legis. Jon Cooper's resolution to formulate plan implementing ShotSpotter® Gunshot Location System in High-Crime Areas of Suffolk County.

Less than a month after the Suffolk County Legislature supported a plan to re-open a police annex in Huntington Station, the elected officials on Tuesday unanimously adopted a second bill that could further help deter crime in the area. The bill, which was brought to the table by Majority Leader Jon Cooper, D-Lloyd Harbor, directs the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) to study the implementation of the ShotSpotter® Gunshot Location System in crime-plagued communities throughout Suffolk County. "They have endorsed this technology," Cooper said about the legislature's 18-0 vote. "We're all united in the battle to keep our communities safe from gang violence and street crime. I'm convinced that ShotSpotter technology can give us the …

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Kim

1:10 pm on Thursday, October 14, 2010

Great job by all (community members, elected officials, police etc.) that are working together on this!   more ›

Legis. Cooper Gets 'RRRuff' with Animal Abusers

Landmark animal protection initiatives rolled out during Thursday press conference.

In the face of the growing number of cases of animal abuse being reported locally, Suffolk County Legislative Majority Leader Jon Cooper, D-Lloyd Harbor, announced a series of initiatives that would put Suffolk at the national vanguard of protecting animal rights at a press conference at the William H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge on Thursday morning. Standing with grateful pet owners, animal rights advocates and other supporters – both two- and four-legged – Cooper laid out the groundwork for two bills which would create a public Animal Abuser Registry listing the names of those convicted of inhumane treatment and torture of animals, prevent those convicted of animal abuse from adopting or purchasing animals, and prohibit pet …

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Letter to the Editor: Don't Be No-Shows!

Legis. Cooper calls on Levy, Dormer to attend Monday's special Board of Ed meeting.

In response to the most recent incident of violence in Huntington Station, the July 11 shooting of a 16-year-old girl on the grounds of Jack Abrams Intermediate School, the board of the Huntington Union Free School District has scheduled a special public meeting at 7:30 p.m. tonight to discuss possible remedies to the growing problem of crime – not only around Jack Abrams, but all over Huntington Station. Anticipating a full house of anxious parents and concerned residents desperately searching for answers from their leaders, today Suffolk County Legislative Majority Leader Jon Cooper, D-Lloyd Harbor, is publicly calling on County Executive Steve Levy and Police Commissioner Richard Dormer to join him in attending the event. It will be …

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Legislature Tables Dormer Votes Once Again

Legislature did not vote on whether or not to fire the commissioner.

Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Richard Dormer will have to wait until August to find out if he still has a job. At its meeting Tuesday, county legislators tabled two proposals that, if approved, would remove Dormer. Resolution number 1371 (copy attached) first made it out of the legislature's public safety committee June 3, but was also tabled at the June 8 meeting. The Public Safety Committee tabled the resolution to fire Dormer at the April 22 meeting after the county attorney testified that the county charter does not give the legislature the power to do so, while the legislature's counsel disagreed. To clarify that issue,  Cooper added  resolution number 1556 (also attached) to the agenda.  The new resolution states that…

Updated: Suffolk Legislature Tabled Resolution to Fire Dormer

A resolution to remove Dormer from office was approved 4-1 by the Public Safety Committee.

Updated: The resolution to fire Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer was tabled at 7:05 p.m. before the full legislature could vote on the resolution, number 1371.  Legislator Jon Cooper made a motion to approve that was seconded Legislator Jack Eddington. A motion to table was made by Legislator Jay Schneiderman and seconded by  Legislator Thomas Barraga and, as is the procedure, was voted on first and was approved. The resolution will be on the legislature's June 22 meetig agenda. Original article: A resolution to fire Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer was approved by the Suffolk County Legislature's public safety committee June 3, 4 to 1.  At today's general meeting, currently in progress, Legislator Jon Cooper plans to …

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Legislating Bullies, Homeless Sex-Offenders and Political Appointees

County Legislator Jon Cooper has sponsored or supported legislation dealing with all three of these issues.

Suffolk County Legislative Majority Leader Jon Cooper, D-Lloyd Harbor,  introduced a bill Thursday that would give the legislature the ability to remove appointed commissioners and department heads when there is just cause to do so. The law would apply to all appointed officials whose initial hiring was subject to legislative approval, Cooper said, regardless of whether they are appointed for a fixed term or serve at the pleasure of the county executive.  The bill also covers the numerous individuals appointed to Suffolk County's more than 50-plus boards, commissions and agencies, all of whom are also initially subject to legislative approval. Cooper had previously sponsored a resolution to create fixed five-year terms for public safety …

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'Kudos' To SCPD and FBI for Major Gang Busts, County Exec Says

Following the arrests of ten Latin Kings members, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy held a press conference to sing the praises of law enforcement officiials.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy held a media conference today to congratulate the county police department as well as FBI agents following the arrest of ten Latin Kings members.  "We promised the community we were going to do a full-court press and that's exactly what we've done," Levy said. Angel Cordero, aka King Epic, and seven of his underlings were taken in to custody Thursday, March 25. Two other members of the gang were already in custody. Charges include drug and gun trafficking. "This is a major, major blow to the Latin Kings and other gangs in Huntington Station," Levy said. A turning point in the investigation was following a shooting at Lowndes and Tower streets near the Jack Abrams Intermediate School in September 2009. "…

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Updated: Cooper 'Disappointed' Levy Won't Stand Up To Homophobes

County Executive Steve Levy came out against gay marriage in a recent interview.

Suffolk County Legis. Jon Cooper on Tuesday said "it took Steve Levy less than 24 hours after switching to the GOP to sell his soul." The Lloyd Harbor Democrat said he is "personally disappointed" in the county executive's same-sex marriage comments, which he made in an interview with WNBC earlier this month. Levy, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, said he considers marriage to be between "a man and a woman." Levy, elected county executive as a Democrat in November 2003 after serving in the Legislature as well as the state Assembly, officially declared his candidacy, as well as his new party affiliation, earlier this month. "When I saw his comments, I shot him a text and posted on both my Twitter and Facebook pages a …

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Cooper Wants Police Commish Removed

Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper wants Police Commissioner Richard Dormer removed because he said he is more concerned with protecting his job than protecting the public.

Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) announced at the Tuesday, March 23 meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature that he has filed a bill to remove Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Richard Dormer. The Legislature's Majority Leader said that he lost faith in Commissioner Dormer after the commissioner agreed privately that there was a need to hire more police officers, after what Legislator Cooper said was more than a year of telling the Legislature in multiple public sessions that he didn't need more police. While Legislator Cooper said he personally liked Commissioner Dormer, he said he no longer felt the Commissioner had the ability to stand up to the demands of County Executive Steve Levy to limit police …

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