A permanent Task Force on Hate Crimes in Suffolk County (“Task
Force”) is hereby created to examine the source of racial tension
in the County, to study and analyze the mechanisms used to report
hate crimes in the County, and to provide recommendations on current
hate crime legislation.
This Task Force shall consist of the following 15 members:
A. One representative
from the County Legislature, to be selected by the Presiding Officer;
B. One representative
from the County Legislature, to be selected by the Minority Leader;
C. A representative
from the County Executive’s office, to be selected by the County
Executive;
D. A Clergyman,
to be selected by the County Legislature;
E. Two representatives
from the Suffolk County community at large, to be selected by the
County Legislature;
F. A representative
of the Suffolk County Police Department Hate Crimes Unit;
G. A representative
from the Hispanic community in Suffolk County, to be selected by the
County Legislature;
H. A representative
from the Black or African American community in Suffolk County, to
be selected by the County Legislature;
I. A representative
from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Suffolk
County, to be selected by the County Legislature;
J. A representative
from the Jewish community, to be selected by the County Legislature;
K. A representative
from the LGBTQ+ community in Suffolk County, to be selected by the
County Legislature;
L. A representative
from the Suffolk County Anti-Bias Task Force;
M. A representative
from one of the Suffolk County School Districts, to be selected by
the County Legislature; and
N. A representative
from the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission.
The Chairperson of the Task Force shall be chosen from one of
the representatives from the Legislature appointed to the Task Force
by the Presiding Officer or Minority Leader.
The Task Force shall hold its first meeting no later than 30
days after the oaths of office of all members have been filed, which
meeting shall be convened by the Chairperson of the Task Force, for
the purpose of organization and the appointment of a Vice Chairperson
and a Secretary.
The members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation
and shall serve at the pleasure of their respective appointing authorities.
The Task Force shall cooperate with the Legislative Committees
of the County Legislature and make available for each Committee’s
use, upon request, any records and other data it may accumulate or
obtain.
The Task Force is hereby authorized, empowered and directed
to hold at least two public hearings annually throughout the County
of Suffolk to assemble the data and information necessary to complete
the valuation, study and report required with all reasonable efforts
to be made to ascertain the views, wishes and opinions of the residents
of Suffolk County.
The work of this Task Force shall not be performed by any outside
consultant or consulting firm unless explicit approval and authorization
for such consultant or consulting firm is granted pursuant to a duly
enacted resolution of the County Legislature.