Board won't stop Suffolk deputies from highway patrol

BY ANDREW STRICKLER | andrew.strickler@newsday.com A state board has denied a Suffolk police union's request to stop the county from replacing police patrols on two Long Island highways with sheriff's deputies. The Public Employment Relations Board's denial of the union request for an injunction means deputies will likely continue to patrol the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway in Suffolk for at least several months while a final decision is reached. "Barring a change from the county executive's office, it looks like we will be in this until at least the final PERB decision," said Chief Michael Sharkey of the Suffolk Sheriff's Department. The Suffolk Police Benevolent Association, the largest county police union, filed the improper practice charge against the county after County Executive Steve Levy pulled officers... [read full story]