Meet Louis Viscusi, President of the Suffolk County Corrections Officers Association

Viscusi admits that, prior to becoming a correction officer, he knew very little about the career as well. “Twenty-seven years ago, I was encouraged to take the exam by my uncle who was a New York City fireman and he spoke about the benefits and stability of Civil Service work. Most people only know what they see on TV and Hollywood usually portrays correction officers as bad people, that is not the case!”

Throughout his tenure on the Executive Board, he has increased the public image of Suffolk County Correction Officers by taking part in community events, charity fundraisers, parades and other forms of volunteerism to break the image of the negative light in which Hollywood portrays Correction Officers. “We are baseball coaches, scouting leaders, volunteer firemen, ambulance workers and really good neighbors.”

On the job, correction officers are a vital part of the law enforcement community. They participate in many of the task forces and share information to help solve crimes to keep our communities safer.

When asked about the current issues, Viscusi explained “Staffing issues have been a big problem over the past few years requiring most officers to work excessive hours of overtime. We are forced to work sixteen-hour days, three times per week on top of our regular shift so it causes problems in marriages, friendships, bonding with children and just overall physical and mental health, leaving less time for exercise, family events and fun. The problem was due to a low staring salary and twelve years to achieve top step on top of changes to the Tier 5 and 6 retirement system which made careers, like ours, less desirable.”

But Viscusi says thanks to Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, they have a more equitable contract, and they have already seen a big improvement in recruitment numbers.

“We now have a sixty thousand dollar starting salary before overtime and only eight years till top step for new hires,” Viscusi explains of the contract that was signed in June 2025 and runs through 2029. “When the starting salary was forty thousand, you really couldn’t attract the candidates we needed. The thing is, being a correction officer is a great career but we do work in a delicate environment, and you need the right people for the job.”

Viscusi says the number of people applying for and taking the test for corrections had dropped from about 7,000 candidates in 2011 to around 500 candidates in 2024 causing a need to give the exam twice in one year. After settling the new contract, the 2025 examination had 2,000 apply and he anticipates that upward trend to continue.

“We have hope with this new contract,” Viscusi says. “There has already been a small reduction in forced overtime, which means a better quality of life for our members. It means fewer missed holidays, ball games and family events.”

Officers also participate in annual training, wellness programs and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office has a Wellness dog, Luna.

“The trend across the nation with correction officers and first responders is to focus on mental health,” says Viscusi, who adds that part of his job also is to consider the wellbeing of his members. “Mental health is one area that really needs to be addressed. We encourage our members to speak with a therapist [before they get to the desperation point]. You need the right person, who you connect with. It may not always be the first person you make an appointment with. If you start that connection before you are in crisis, you may not ever get to the breaking point. If you do [need help], you have someone with whom you already have that relationship.”

Other problems facing the membership is legislation coming out of Albany. “We are in Albany arguing all the time that they should not paint us all with the same brush,” Viscusi says. “Maybe there is a correction officer who does something wrong, but that isn’t all of us and that can happen in any field of work. What works for one facility may not work in another and we have seen our fair share of knee jerk reactions with legislation, so we keep a presence during Albany sessions to speak out for our members. We don’t want needless restrictions that would further hinder our recruitment and retention issues.”

“It is vital that we properly staff the jails. It is safer for the inmates and the officers for us to be adequately staffed. Officers should work OT because they want to work, not be forced to work. You also get to the point of risk versus reward when people are working long days and have to be back at work in eight hours to do it all over again. Ed Romaine listened to us and understood our situation. He saw the problem and addressed it. The County wasn’t only focused on recruitment they worked on retention also.”

Viscusi says that the correction officers have a 25-year, 50 percent retirement plan and the County has worked with New York State to now also offer a 30-year, 60 percent retirement, regardless of age, encouraging experienced officers to stay on the job longer.

Viscusi, who started in corrections at age 22, was first vice president of SCCOA for three years before becoming president Jan. 31, 2015.

“It is true. Corrections across the Country used to be more of a warehousing situation, but not under Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon.

“In Suffolk County, we run true correctional facilities offering inmates more opportunities,” says Viscusi. “Sheriff Toulon has very good ideas to reduce recidivism and the ability to enact them.”

Viscusi says “I enjoy working with Sheriff Toulon. He has been fair to work with on officer issues and his vision for the inmate population has been ahead of the curve. Inmates can take classes, get their GED, learn a trade, take parenting classes or get addiction and substance abuse assistance, to name a few innovations Toulon has overseen.”

Viscusi explains that a more favorable environment for the inmates means a better working environment for the officers, which is a win-win situation.

“We have re-entry [into society] programs, work on resumes,  mock job interviews, provide them with interview clothing,” Viscusi explains. “We don’t just want to discharge them back onto the streets and continue the same cycle. We can’t force them into programs but if they want them, Suffolk County Correctional Facilities are a world of opportunity.”

When asked about the future Viscusi says “I am running for another term this year. The past six years have been rough, especially with bail reform, short staffing and the Covid-19 pandemic,” Viscusi explains. “I am grateful the membership stuck with me through the struggles. We’re continuing to work on our image. We’ve got a fair contract. I want to continue to work with the elected officials advocating for our member’s next contract. We just need to remind people that there are tens of thousands of correction officers in New York and while there may be an isolated incident occasionally, the vast majority of us come to work to perform our duties, to support our family and we do it well.”

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.