The gunshots that killed two auxiliary police officers in New York City Wednesday night reverberated on Long Island yesterday, where Nassau and Suffolk police rely on hundreds of the volunteer officers to help with chores including traffic and crowd control at big events.
Praise for the support that auxiliary officers provide came as officials and rank-and-file officers grieved for Eugene Marshalik, 19, of Valley Stream, and Nicholas T. Pekearo, 28, of Manhattan, who were killed after they followed a gunman who had shot a bartender in Greenwich Village.
"It's troublesome, and very sad," said Suffolk Police Sgt. Harold Fay, who oversees that county's 115-member auxiliary force. "Here's guys who are putting their lives on the line for no pay. You have to give these guys a lot of credit."
Sometimes called an extra set of eyes and ears for the police department, the police academy-trained auxiliary force gives police extra muscle, if only because they spot trouble and report it while taking on support tasks that leave sworn officers free to tackle serious crime.
"They're important because they do supplement us," said Lt. Dan Collins of the Nassau County Police Department. "They are able to take some minor duties away for us so we can be available for emergency-type situations."
Nassau has just over 300 auxiliary officers in 37 community-based units, Collins said.
In both counties, they direct traffic and control crowds at events, such as parades and festivals, or marathons.
Auxiliary officers are also tapped for civil defense work during disasters. After the TWA Flight 800 crash off Moriches in July 1996, 75 auxiliaries worked around the clock directing traffic and staffing checkpoints, police said.
They log between 10 and 16 hours each month, but some, said Nassau police spokesman Sgt. Anthony Repalone, put in over 1,000 hours in a year. The auxiliaries volunteer from a desire to perform public service and, in some cases, to try out police work before deciding whether to take the exam for the regular force.
"They come from all walks of life," Repalone said. "You've got skilled professionals - doctors, lawyers, teachers."
They wear uniforms similar to those of regular officers and undergo dozens of hours of training and instruction in areas such as the penal code, vehicle and traffic laws, first aid and the use of force.
In Suffolk, auxiliary officers are allowed to carry their own licensed guns. That's an anomaly in law enforcement, Fay said, adding that only one other police force in New York State allows its auxiliary officers to carry guns. The officers, who apply for handgun permits like any other resident, undergo extensive firearms training.
However, Fay said he couldn't recall an instance where an auxiliary officer was involved in a shooting like the one that felled the two officers in Manhattan Wednesday night.
Lawmakers in both counties have recognized the work that auxiliary officers do. In Nassau, Legis. Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) on Monday presented Nassau's auxiliary force with 15 new bulletproof vests.
In Suffolk, Legis. Joseph Caracappa (R-Selden) and Legis. Jack Eddington (WFP-Medford) recently introduced a measure to give auxiliary officers new benefits including waivers of the civil service exam fees and discounted park and recreation fees.
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