Politics & Government

Criminal Justice Council Denies Editing Hate Crime Report

Department authoring report swears affidavit denying edits or delays alleged by legislator.

Suffolk County department of probation has submitted signed affidavits swearing completion of the hate crimes report in timely fashion without being edited by Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy. 

John Desmond, Suffolk County's director of probation, and Robert Marmo, chief planner of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, swore a draft of Hate Crimes Task Force report was finished on Dec. 15, and delivered to . 

The affidavit was written and signed after Gregory's 3 p.m meeting with the Desmond and members of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council,who had been charged with drafting the hate crimes report. 

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The statement does recognize one change made at the request of Levy's Chief Deputy Edward Dumas. 

"A second phone call was made by Deputy County Executive Dumas that day with a request that a Table of Contents for Police Procedures section of the report be added for clarity. That change was made and reviewed by Chairperson John Desmond. That was the only adjustment made to the rough draft," according to the sworn affidavit. 

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Dumas admitted to making such a request in earlier statements. 

It remains unexplained how a copy of the hate crime report Gregory displayed at Tuesday morning press conference was dated Dec. 10.  Mark Smith, deputy director of communications for Levy, could not be immediately reached for contact. 


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