A police officer in Long Island who confessed to misconduct was permitted to stay on the job and earn a six-figure salary, only to have his employment end after becoming eligible for a full pension, as revealed in a recent report.
Since 2011, Suffolk County has reached at least seven settlement agreements with officers accused of wrongdoing, costing taxpayers around $7 million. These deals allowed officers to remain employed until they completed 20 years of service, making them eligible for pension benefits, according to news reports.
Mike Martino, a spokesperson for Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, shared that the agreements were made under former Chief Steve Bellone, who led the department from 2012 to 2023, and former Police Chief Rodney Harrison. Interestingly, Harrison insisted he never signed such an agreement, despite it being officially documented.
“These incidents and agreements took place under the previous administration,” Martino noted.
He added, “This is just one aspect of our legacy.”
Whenever Suffolk County attempts to dismiss an officer, an independent arbitrator ultimately decides the case. The administration of Bellone opted for settlements instead of risking an unfavorable ruling from an arbitrator who could side with the officer.
As a result, some officers facing serious misconduct allegations, including recently retired Kevin Ustenhoff, benefited from the arrangement. Ustenhoff reportedly took a breathalyzer test for his intoxicated off-duty colleague, David Muscarella, who had caused a serious accident in 2020, injuring a 2-year-old.
Officer Ronald Reiter was also implicated for allegedly revealing the identity of an undercover officer and for not reporting knowledge of illegal activities, admitting only to “general misconduct.”
Christopher Weiner is another officer who received a similar deal, accused of punching a handcuffed man, resulting in facial injuries.
Lou Civello, president of the Police Benevolent Association, defended this approach, stating that an admission of general misconduct “doesn’t imply the allegations are necessarily true,” but rather indicates that the officer made a procedural error and accepted a fine.
He expressed, “These cases involve disputed facts, and the officers assert their innocence. These settlements reflect concessions by the county when they lack evidence to support their claims.”
Such admissions will allow them, along with four other officers accused of similar misconduct, to remain employed at salaries reaching up to $270,000 until they meet the 20 years required for their pensions, leading to lifetime benefits.
Typically, these arrangements result in delays for officers to remain on the payroll while awaiting agreed-upon retirement or resignation dates, costing taxpayers more than $7 million in payroll and overtime for these seven officers alone.
Most agreements were reached with officers just as they approached the 20-year service mark, although current officer Jose Estrella’s “termination penalty” from 14 years ago permits him to remain on duty until 2031. He was accused back in 2015, just three years after his hiring, of misusing a police computer to look up license plates for non-official purposes.
