Four years ago, Ray Tierney took on the entrenched Democratic incumbent District Attorney Tim Sini, staking a campaign on a beleaguered internal prosecutorial process and questions over how a local D.A. can navigate the current headwinds released by Albany.
D.A. Tierney has more than exceeded expectations.
The Republican who calls Brookhaven Town home has spared no expense in ensuring that Suffolk County’s prosecutorial arm is working like a well-oiled machine, not only in terms of boilerplate cases, but in terms of internal department overhauls, leading groundbreaking investigations, and getting the numbers down in his first term.
He’s also unopposed for re-election this year, an indication that he’s lived up to the post and then some, we find.
Navigating a Tough Political Climate
You don’t have to look too far to find opinions that law enforcement practices and the criminal justice system aren’t quite what they once were. Law enforcement personnel face more external challenges than they ever have, perhaps, and soft-on-crime policies from Albany only handcuff said enforcement and prosecutors, instead of the criminals for whom handcuffs are typically intended.
Tierney is a solid, regular, and vocal advocate in the reforms of these policies. He regularly rallies in Albany at the start of each session, as well as throughout the year in Suffolk County, for commonsense changes that, at this point, only those who seek to intentionally harangue justice would oppose. One of Tierney’s biggest requests is the tossing of New York’s antiquated “list” of known substances that can lead to an arrest, typically in the case of ostensibly impaired drivers. With the legalization of recreational marijuana, which, as of now, does not have onsite detection capabilities like alcohol does, and the blizzard of new, synthetic drugs hitting the black markets faster than they can be categorized by law enforcement, Tierney takes the correct stance in asking for a more comprehensive set of laws that aren’t confined to constricting goalposts.
Tierney has also regularly asked for reforms to bail reform, discovery processes, and New York’s Raise the Age Law, all areas that we opine need significant re-evaluation.
But Tierney brings a nuanced approach to these issues. While he regularly cites these suffocating laws as counteractive to policing and prosecutions, he has also regularly stated his understanding of the need for reforms in the first place. His opinion, one that we share, the pendulum simply swung too far in the other direction.
While this stance is paramount to finding the common denominators of a reformed criminal justice system that truly works for the accused and the prosecutors, this is just a glimpse of the nuanced approach Tierney brings to the table in each circumstance – a testament, also, to his mindset of the classic prosecutor – innocent until proven guilty, and not everything is just one way or the other.
We find that Tierney’s position as Suffolk County’s D.A. is not only a massive benefit for the safety and quality of life to Suffolk residents, but also a valuable check on the runaway legislation coming from Albany. He not only articulates the problems from his perspective well, but he’s got the goods to back it up.
Taking Down Networks
While many forms of crime are still perpetrated by lone actors, or perhaps a dynamic duo, we’ve seen – and ran – many headlines over the last four years that show that many criminal actions are much more coordinated than one would assume.
Take, for instance, the very recent bust of a network of drivers who would raid church donation bins of second-hand clothing, intended for Suffolk’s neediest, instead redirected to out-of-town exporters. Not only did this account for nearly half-a-million dollars worth of items, but it demonstrates that some people are heartless enough to steal from the most destitute, as well as the sheer generosity that is alive and well here in Suffolk County.
Tierney has also headed investigations into several other criminal conspiracies, such as last year’s break of an Islip High School teacher and a crooked cop who operated massage parlors in Babylon and Holbrook, pulling back the curtain on human trafficking, coercion, and a criminal conspiracy, maintained even while the officer was on the clock in his cruiser.
Earlier this year, a Centereach woman was busted for running a drug trafficking network out of her garage. Each purchase was not only tailored to customers’ orders but complete with little business cards that provided instructions on the use of each substance.
Less gruesomely, but also of significance, Tierney has also been at the forefront of the illegal street takeover scene, in which racers in souped-up cars come from off-Island to block intersections and parking lots to have impromptu drag races and feats of driving prowess. These not only mark up the roads and cause quality of life issues but pose serious safety concerns and have even been documented to have blocked an ambulance from carrying a patient to a hospital.
These investigations don’t come off hunches or word-of-mouth. They come from months or even years of observation and data collection, something at which Tierney and his elite team of prosecutors have proven adept.
Gilgo Beach, A Cold Case Finally Cracked
No mention of Tierney goes without the immediate association of Gilgo Beach. A serial killing spree that gripped the relatively quiet Suffolk County by storm decades ago, within his first year on the job, Tierney was able to provide a suspect.
Not only was the suspect, Rex Heuermann, connected to the crimes – he is still innocent until proven guilty, we remind – through dusted-off leads from Tierney’s predecessor, but also through cutting-edge, state-of-the art mitochondrial DNA technology. The Gilgo Beach case is the first in the state and one of the first nationally to utilize this type of technology to detect DNA and match DNA left behind years or even decades ago. Due to its avant garde nature, Tierney and company had to prove its feasibility and prosecutorial scrutiny to be used to mount a case – something that they recently saw ruled in their favor.
It’s also no secret that the Gilgo Beach murders likely could have been brought to light much sooner than they did, but we also know that insiders within the offices of Tierney’s predecessors and former SCPD Police Chief Jimmy Burke, pushed federal partners out of the investigation – clearly a righteous reason for Tierney to have overhauled the internals of the department.
By the Numbers
D.A. Tierney shared with us in his interview last week that the raw numbers of violent crimes, crimes committed with firearms, and homicides, particularly, have seen a decline since his tenure started in January 2022. While other crimes like human trafficking, animal crimes, and environmental crimes have seen large increases, this isn’t due to a lack of attention from the D.A.’s office, it’s that more are being reported and adjudicated, meaning Tierney is filling in blanks where necessary.
As we said previously, it’s no wonder why Tierney faces no competition this year. We’ve seen not only a remarkable display of duty fulfillment, but a palpable turnaround from prosecutors of the past, making him all the more deserving of another term.
The Messenger endorses Tierney.
