'Beyond Call Of Duty': Honoring LI Correction Officer Lost To COVID-19

RIVERHEAD, NY — Somber respect was paid Sunday to a Suffolk County corrections officer who died due to complications from COVID-19.

The Beyond the Call of Duty – End of Watch Ride to Remember caravan visited the Riverhead Correctional Facility to honor the life and salute the family of fallen Sheriff’s Office Sgt. John Lowry, of Hampton Bays, who died at 60 while in service in 2021.

He had served for more than 30 years, officials said.

Beyond the Call of Duty – End of Watch Ride to Remember is a group of motorcycle riders from Washington State escorting a 41-foot trailer across the country to honor fallen officers from the prior year. The group is riding for 79 days between June 1 and August 18 and traveling more than 22,000 miles across the country to honor more than 600 men and women of law enforcement.

At the Riverhead Correctional Facility, those in the caravan were greeted by Sgt. Lowry's family and colleagues; he died in service on October 6, 2021.

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr., along with Suffolk County correction officers, deputy sheriffs, family members, and New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio gathered under a tent outside the facility to pay tribute.

“The men and women of the Sheriff’s Office put themselves in harm’s way every single day and make countless sacrifices to keep our communities safe and to better the lives of many,” said Toulon. “We salute you, and mourn the loss of Sgt. Lowry and all of our fallen brothers and sisters.”

In October, 2021, a representative for Toulon said as of Oct. 1, just days before Lowry died, there were 31 staff members out with COVID-19.

According to data on Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon's website at the time, a total of 98 inmates in the Suffolk County Correctional facilities had had COVID-19; 79 contracted the virus in jail and 19 contracted COVID-19 before they were incarcerated.

"Like all Suffolk County residents, the sheriff's office is currently navigating the turbulent waters of this wave of the pandemic," a message on the Suffolk County sheriff's site read in 2021. "The delta variant is proving to be highly contagious and the numbers of residents currently infected with COVID-19 continue to rise. As a result of COVID infections among staff and an increase in retirements, we are presently facing staff constraints at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility."

As of Oct. 1, 2021 new protocols were unveiled, Toulon said.

Inmates were monitored for the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 by the jail medical unit. Inmates who tested positive were housed in a special quarantine pod and are seen by jail medical a minimum of three times a day, he said.

Inmates deemed to have had a possible exposure to COVID-19 or who returned from the hospital were housed in a quarantine pod and checked by medical staff multiple times a day. New intake inmates were also quarantined upon entry into the facility. All inmates in quarantine had to test negative to be moved back to the general population, Toulon said in 2021.

In April, 2021, the first inmate, and a dozen Suffolk County correction officers tested positive for the coronavirus, Toulon said.

By December, 2021, zero inmatestested positive for COVID-19, Toulon said.