The sheriff’s annual open house and family day scheduled for Oct. 3 has been canceled this year due to staffing constraints made worse by COVID-19 infections, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office announced today.
There are currently 31 correction officers out — 22 because of infections and nine who are quarantined due to COVID exposure, said sheriff’s office spokesperson Kristin McKay.
There are currently a total of 798 correction officers employed by the sheriff’s department, which is experiencing a staff shortage to begin with due to retirements, McKay said. The sheriff’s office is currently recruiting new correction officers for its facilities in both Riverhead and Yaphank. The Civil Service exam for this position is being given on Nov. 13, 2021 and the deadline to register for the exam is Oct. 6. More information is available on the sheriff’s website.
Ninety-eight inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the outbreak in March 2020, according to data published on the sheriff’s website. Seventy-nine of the confirmed cases were contracted in jail and 19 were contracted before incarceration, according to the data.
September has thus far had the second-highest number of confirmed cases among inmates, with 22 positives. December had the highest number, with 40 confirmed cases. Every other month saw between zero and six confirmed cases, according to the published data.
The open house and family day, a popular annual event, won’t take place until 2022. The event requires a large amount of staff members to run it safely and effectively, the sheriff’s office said. The office simply does not have the staffing for it right now.
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