The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Foundation was established during a pivotal time of national upheaval and changing views about the role of law enforcement in society. These times present society with challenges— and opportunities—for law enforcement agencies to intensify their efforts to build public trust.
With more than three centuries of continuous service, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office is the oldest law enforcement organization in Suffolk County, New York, and has become known as one of the most innovative law enforcement agencies and correctional systems in the country.
In 2018, Dr. Errol D. Toulon Jr. became Suffolk County’s 67th Sheriff and the first Black Sheriff to hold the position since the office’s inception in 1683. As a law enforcement professional with more than 30 years of experience, Sheriff Toulon stepped into the position with a deep understanding of how crime and the cycle of recidivism affect generations of families.
“I want to get to these kids before they get to me.”
– Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr.
To ensure ongoing support and provide the greatest fiscal oversight, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Foundation is run by an engaged and talented board of trustees who share a vision to support and develop unique outreach initiatives to strengthen community partnerships and improve outcomes for at-risk individuals. The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Foundation directs its fundraising to support three overarching funding initiatives.
Dominic J. Marino, DVM – President
Dominic J. Marino, DVM, is the chief of staff of Long Island Veterinary Specialists and a major in the United States Army Reserve. Established in 1998, Long Island Veterinary Specialists has a staff of over 200 professionals and is among the most active veterinary referral centers in the U.S. Dr. Marino serves as the surgical consultant to several animal charity-based organizations, and law enforcement and military agencies including The Humane Society of New York, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the 106th Rescue Wing, United States Air Force.
Dr. Marino served as chairman of the Eastern Veterinary Orthopedic Society for several years and as a member on the National Advisory Board of North Shore Animal League America. He is the director of The Canine Chiari Institute at Long Island Veterinary Specialists and on the board of directors of The New York Veterinary Foundation, Veterinary Recommended Nutraceuticals, and the Police Surgeons Benevolent Association. Dr. Marino served as chairman of the scientific advisory board of the Chiari Syringomyelia Foundation and is currently a board of trustees member.
Dr. Marino graduated with honors from Auburn University in Alabama, where he received both his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees. He is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and is recognized as one of 12 surgeons in the world designated a founding fellow of joint replacement surgery. Dr. Marino is one of a handful of veterinary surgeons certified as a Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner. Dr. Marino has published many scientific articles, authored chapters in veterinary and human medical textbooks, and lectures nationally and internationally on many surgical topics.
Michael E. Bergman, Esq. – Vice President
Michael E. Bergman is a partner in the personal injury law firm of Bergman, Bergman, Fields & Lamonsoff, LLP, a Long Island-based litigation law firm representing seriously injured accident victims. Mr. Bergman is a member of the New York State Bar as well as the Eastern and Southern Districts of the United States Federal Court. He is an active member in the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Bergman has been recognized for his more than 25 years of outstanding work in the profession.
Mr. Bergman has served and continues to serve as chief counsel on the board of directors for the Police Surgeons Benevolent Association and the Rev. Kowsky Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. On numerous occasions, he has assisted the Police Surgeons Benevolent Association, the New York State Police PBA and the Suffolk County PBA and volunteered his time organizing fundraisers to help raise money to provide financial assistance for police officers who were severely injured in the line of duty.
Mr. Bergman earned his undergraduate degree in criminal justice and behavioral and social sciences at the University of Maryland. After graduating, he entered the financial market, where he worked as a licensed stockbroker for several years. Despite his success in that field, he pursued his career in law and earned his juris doctorate from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in Long Island.
Augustus Mantia, M.D. – Treasurer
Augustus Mantia, M.D., is an internist and primary care physician at Mount Sinai Doctors who has been caring for his community for more than 40 years and has proudly served as a commissioner of the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission since 1998. He is a strong advocate of equality within the health care system.
In addition to his commitments within the health care environment, Dr. Mantia also volunteers his time to serve his community as fire surgeon at the Hauppauge Fire Department and as the district medical director at the Saint James Fire Department, overseeing all medical response and protocols for the emergency medical teams and defibrillator programs. In 2008, Dr. Mantia was appointed as a deputy fire coordinator and medical doctor for Suffolk County and was selected for appointment to the position of critical incident policy surgeon for the Suffolk County Police Department that same year.
Dr. Mantia is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a graduate of the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, where he received his medical degree. He completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at Nassau County Medical Center. Prior to this, he completed an internship and a residency at the same medical center. He is affiliated with the Mount Sinai Hospital.
Victor F. Politi, M.D. – Second Vice President/Law Enforcement Liaison
Victor F. Politi, M.D., FACP, FACEP, is a distinguished professor of medicine for the Touro University School of Health Sciences and an instructor for Counter Terrorism Operations Support at the Center for Radiological/Nuclear Training. He serves on the Regional Emergency Medical Service Council for New York City as well as Nassau County. In addition, Dr. Politi serves as medical director for various fire departments and volunteer ambulance corps and is a volunteer fire fighter.
Dr. Politi is former president and CEO of the NuHealth System, a teaching facility and public safety net provider. Prior to this, he was the acting Nassau County police commissioner and deputy county executive of public safety. Dr. Politi served as an emergency department attending physician, director and chairman of the divisional executive committee and central executive board of the Caritas Hospital System, among other distinguished positions.
Dr. Politi trained at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the Medical Center in Princeton, New Jersey. Dr. Politi completed an additional residency in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at UMDNJ-RWJ Medical School. Dr. Politi completed medical school while working as a police officer for the New York City Police Department, rising to the rank of lieutenant in the emergency service unit.