Romaine Will Tap Blue Ribbon Panel In Suffolk Police Commissioner Search

YAPHANK, NY — Suffolk County Executive-elect Ed Romaine plans to set up a 'Blue Ribbon' panel in December to search for the next police commissioner, a position that will be vacated by Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison in January.

Harrison's departure came to Romaine as a surprise, he said.

The former New York Police Department chief of department took over in December 2021,

and immediately made the Gilgo Beach serial killings investigation a priority saying there would be "no rest" until the suspect was caught.

He is the first black police commissioner in the history of the county.

In an interview on Wednesday, Romaine noted Harrison's announcement recently that he would leave the department brings to county government three vacancies in top appointed posts, including the commissioners for labor and the Department of Public Works.

"The police commissioner is a little bit different," he said.

Romaine's panel will consist of members of law enforcement that he is familiar with and he will ask for their recommendations. It is likely he will choose someone from the list once interviews are conducted.

"I'm not going to put my finger on one person; I want to do a thorough search," he said. "I want to have the people that understand law enforcement putting together a list of what can be done."

It's something that he would like to take care of "as quickly as possible."

An acting commissioner will be chosen to take over the vacancy left by Harrison.

"The great thing about Suffolk County Police Department is they have great leaders in that they can run this place until a selection is made but I don't expect that to be longer than a month or two at most," he said. "So this will happen quickly."

"But in the meantime, you have some wonderful people that have had the experience of running this department and parts of this department so I'm not that concerned," he said. "I have great faith in our police department."

Romaine said he is not concerned about not having a permanent leader at the helm of the department during the ongoing Gilgo Beach killings investigation even for a short time because it consists of a task force "involving many bodies."

The task force includes Suffolk police, sheriffs, and the District Attorney's office, as well as the state, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"I'm not concerned and I'm sure that whoever would be acting commissioner would do a great job," he said.