Suffolk DA Asked To Investigate Outgoing Police Commissioner

YAPHANK, NY — Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison is denying allegations he falsified timesheets to get a larger payout when he leaves the department later this month and a prompt for a call for District Attorney Ray Tierney's office to investigate.

In a news release Thursday, Legis. Robert Trotta alleged Harrison changed his leave days to sick days on previously submitted timesheets so that he could have a larger payout and asked DA Ray Tierney to investigate, Newsday reported.

Tierney told the outlet he would "confer with the chief of department."

In a statement to Patch, Tierney's office said it "frequently receives inquiries regarding timesheets at the end of the year pertaining to various county departments."

"The District Attorney's office takes these inquiries seriously and endeavors to work with all county departments to ensure that all wage hours are properly documented and accounted for," spokeswoman Tania Lopez said. "This year is no different from past years. Any investigation into these matters are not specific to any one individual or any one county department.

Harrison said told Newsday that he changed some vacation days to sick days for additional time off, which is a common practice in the police department and he changed them back after consulting with the county attorney.

Patch has reached out to Trotta for comment.

In a statement to Patch, Harrison said: "I have dedicated my career to law enforcement, not politics, and these wild and baseless allegations by a politician will not undermine or diminish the crucial work we have completed over the last two years."

He announced he was resigning last month after only two years at the department's helm and amid the Gilgo Beach serial killings investigation.

It came weeks after he joined the victims' attorney John Ray in a news conference releasing new information about the case. It was a move that appeared to anger Tierney, who sent out a statement airing his disappointment that his office was not kept in the loop.

County Executive Steve Bellone, who appointed Harrison, fired back at Trotta in a statement to News 12.

"Just months after admitting that he was secretly recording private conversations with the police commissioner, Trotta is back making more outrageous accusations about one of the most highly respected law enforcement officers in our state and nation," he said.