[HISTORY: Adopted by the Suffolk County Legislature as indicated
in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 5-17-2005 by Res. No. 452-2005 (Ch. 656, Art. I,
of the 1985 Code)]
It shall be the policy of the Suffolk County government to institute
any and all procedures that would achieve the following goals:
A.
Maintain the confidentiality of personal information, including but
not limited to names, addresses, telephone numbers, and social security
numbers, to the maximum extent possible under the law.
B.
Refrain from acquiring or maintaining lists of names, addresses,
telephone numbers, and social security numbers of County residents,
unless absolutely required for some legal or governmental purpose.
All Suffolk County Commissioners and department heads are hereby
authorized, empowered and directed to undertake an audit of the procedures
required in their department to assure that this policy of the County
of Suffolk is implemented to the fullest extent legally permissible.
[Adopted 3-2-2010 by Res. No. 131-2010 (Ch. 656, Art. II,
of the 1985 Code)]
A.
It was reported in the media last year that the home addresses of
hundreds of correction officers were released by a County department
to a person or persons not employed by Suffolk County.
B.
The home addresses of the County's law enforcement personnel
can and should be withheld from public dissemination because such
a disclosure constitutes an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy
and could, under some circumstances, endanger the safety of law enforcement
employees and their families.
C.
The Freedom of Information Law does not mandate the release of such
information to the public, and, in fact, the release of home address
information serves no valid public purpose.
D.
This Legislature wishes to establish a policy that protects the home
address information of all Suffolk County law enforcement employees.
No department, office, agency, employee, or officer of the County
of Suffolk shall release the home address of any Suffolk County police
officer, Deputy Sheriff, correction officer, probation officer, park
police officer or Assistant District Attorney to a person or organization
not associated with Suffolk County government.
Any request under the Freedom of Information Law for the home
address of a law enforcement employee shall be denied pursuant to
the exceptions contained in said law.
No County department, agency, office of employee shall access
and/or use the home address information of a law enforcement employee
for a non-government purpose.
