He graduated from Uniondale High School in New York and Empire State College at the State University at Stony Brook, New York. Thanks to the G.I. bill he later studied everything from sociology and public administration to celestial navigation. After retiring from the police service, he and his wife, Barbara, moved to Tennessee where he volunteered at The Fort Loudoun State Historic Area and dealt with publicity for their living history program. The volunteer position inspired him to study more and write about the French and Indian War era of colonial history. Over two dozen of his articles have been published in magazines.

In 2006, Wayne Zurl began writing his Sam Jenkins Crime Stories. Jenkins is an ex-New York police officer now employed as the chief in Prospect, a fictional small East Tennessee city. Zurl says Jenkins and he share similar experiences, probably sound the same, and both enjoy good Italian food.” Wayne Zurl is the author of A Labor Day Murder, Bullets Off-Broadway and A Murder in Knoxville.

According to the book description of A Labor Day Murder, “Chief Sam Jenkins learns of an illegal card game and the sale of moonshine at the Iron Skillet restaurant and decides to raid the premises. That looked straight forward until a firearms examiner links a confiscated handgun to an unsolved homicide. Jenkins encounters political corruption, domestic abuse, and a cover-up in his pursuit to solve the murder.”

According to the book description of Bullets Off-Broadway, “Prospect, Tennessee City Councilman Danny Swope had two bad habits. He drank too much and he beat his wife. Throw in an overbearing personality and Police Chief Sam Jenkins isn't surprised when Danny is found shot to death with an 1873 single action revolver. Jenkins' investigation takes him into the world of cowboy action shooters. Two colorful characters who call themselves Clint Southwood and Dakota Lil offer clues that lead Sam to the killer and his own deadly fast draw contest.”

According to the book description of A Murder in Knoxville, “Prospect PD's Chief Sam Jenkins answers a friend's call for a favor and ends up investigating a murder in another jurisdiction. Everything points to domestic violence until Sam finds an important clue and meets an unlikely killer.”
 

About the Suffolk County Police DepartmentAt the general election held in November, 1958 the Suffolk County Charter was submitted to the voters of Suffolk County, together with a question of whether the respective Towns and Villages should transfer their police functions to the County Police Department.

The five western Towns of Babylon, Huntington, Islip, Smithtown and Brookhaven, together with the Incorporated Villages of Lindenhurst, Babylon, Patchogue, Brightwaters, Village of the Branch, Old Field, Poquott, Belle Terre, Shoreham and Bellport, duly voted to become part of the Police District. As a result, the Suffolk county Police Department became operational at 0001hrs. on January 1, 1960

Source: suffolk.ny.us/police

/documents/PDcal0708.pdf