Inaugural Ceremony For Suffolk County Sheriff Rescheduled

RIVERHEAD, NY — The inaugural ceremony for new Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. was postponed until Friday, Jan. 12 at noon, due to Thursday's inclement weather.

The ceremony was initially expected to take place on Friday, and will still take place next week at the Suffolk Community College campus in Brentwood, at the Von Nostrand Theater.

The event will mark a historic moment: Toulon is the first African American sheriff in Suffolk County history; he is the 67th sheriff of Suffolk County.

While the event is by invitation only, the public can watch by clicking here.

Toulon's opponent, Republican Larry Zacarese released a statement after the election, conceding the race and congratulating Toulon on his win.

Toulon has reflected: "I️ want to thank the voters and volunteers who have supported my campaign for sheriff and allowed me to get the most votes on Election Day."

It's the first time a new sheriff has been elected in Suffolk County in 12 years; longtime Sheriff Vincent DeMarco didn't seek a fourth term.

According to his campaign website, Toulon has 30 years of criminal justice experience, focused upon corrections intelligence and combating gang violence both inside and outside of correctional facilities.

Toulon has 22 years of experience as a uniformed Member of Service with the New York City Correction Department, where he served as a supervisor and instructor at the Correction Academy, the Firearms and Tactics Unit, Emergency Service Unit and Office of Compliance Consultants, his bio states.

Next, he spent two years as assistant deputy county executive for public safety under former Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

In 2014, Toulon was named Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the New York City Correction Department; he oversaw the applicant investigation unit, training academy, correction intelligence bureau, emergency preparedness and the policy and procedures unit, his bio states.

In addition, his bio said, Toulon, Jr. is certified through the Department of Homeland Security in emergency planning, radiological emergency management, incident response to terrorist bombing, WMD threat and risk assessment and state disaster management; Toulon is certified to teach weapons of mass destruction awareness, NIMS, domestic terrorism and hate crimes, his bio said.

He received his master's degree in business administration from Dowling College, an advanced certificate in Homeland Security management from Long Island University, recently completed his doctorate in educational administration and attended leadership courses at JFK School of Government at Harvard University, according to his campaign page.

He is a two time cancer survivor recovering from lymphoma as well as pancreatic cancer, his bio says. "His battles with cancer have inspired him to further dedicate his life to helping others," the campaign page reads.

Patch courtesy photo.