Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has named a 30-year NYPD veteran to be the next police commissioner.
Rodney Harrison rose up from cadet to become Chief of Department in New York. With stints as a detective and in internal affairs, Harrison said his priorities include accountability, transparency and officer safety. His wife is a retired police lieutenant, and two of his three daughters are patrol officers.
“I love police officers. They do God's work every single day helping people, and that's something that is sometimes under appreciated,” Harrison said.
If confirmed by the county Legislature, Harrison will be the first African American to lead Suffolk’s 2,400 police officers. The department has struggled to hire and promote Black police officers.
He replaces former Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart who left the post for a more lucrative job closer to her family.
