Town records show the Suffolk County District Attorney had opened an investigation into the Southold Town Police Department in response to complaints about an officer’s retirement party violating COVID-19 guidelines.
The Suffolk Times newspaper reports the party in May held for Sergeant Steven Zuhoski’s retirement had over 100 guests present — more than 10 times the cap for gatherings in the state of 10 people during the pandemic.
The Town Board hired an independent investigator to look into how police handled the complaints, after they said they were unsatisfied with an internal review from Southold Police. The initial police report was not made public.
The Suffolk’s DAs probe is put on hold while the independent investigation is underway.