Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison is resigning from his position leading the Long Island department after nearly two years on the job, which included an arrest of a suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings case.
Harrison joined the department at the end of 2021 from the NYPD where he served as chief of department.
The commissioner is the first Black leader in the Suffolk County Police Department's history.
“For the last two years, Commissioner Rodney Harrison has led the Suffolk County Police Department with honor, integrity, and distinction," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said in a statement. “Because of his efforts, our communities are safer, the department is more equitable, accountable and transparent, and meaningful relationships have been fostered with our diverse communities.
Harrison's first act in his new job was to tour the site where the Gilgo Beach victims were found. Harrison also established the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force.
The suspect in the case, Rex Heuermann, was arrested in July and charged with multiple counts of murder.
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"On the day I nominated Commissioner Harrison for the post, December 14, 2021, I specifically cited the Gilgo Beach serial murder case as the top priority," Bellone said. "I said that Commissioner Harrison would ‘bring to bear his extensive investigative experience on this case and work with our federal, state and local partners to help bring closure to the victims and their families.'"
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At the NYPD, Harrison ascended swiftly in his final years with the department, becoming chief of patrol in Jan. 2018, chief of detectives in Dec. 2019 and chief of department in Feb. 2021. Harrison served as the department's first Black chief of detectives in NYPD history.
