Quick okay on new cops
Board agrees to add officers
By Tim Kelly

SOUTHOLD--Before sitting down for its first financial review session, the Town Board has unofficially agreed to a substantial increase in police department spending, already the single-largest individual component of the town budget.

At Supervisor Josh Horton's urging, the Town Board on Tuesday gave its verbal approval to adding five new patrol officers to the town police department. Although a precise cost estimate was given, the move eventually could add half a million dollars to each year's town budget. Mr. Horton said the additional hirings would allow the town to cut $175,000 in annual overtime pay.

Although the board will not give final authorization to its 2005 town budget for another month or so, the supervisor said the hiring decision must be made immediately so that police officer candidates can be chosen in time for the next county police academy, which is expected to open in November. All police department candidates are added to the town payroll as soon as they enter the academy. This year's class would graduate next spring.

Police and other public safety-related expenses would account for roughly $7.75 million of the $30 million budget Mr. Horton proposed last week. With benefits included, a five-year veteran officer carries a cost to the town of roughly $100,000. The annual price for a rookie officer is half that.

In his 2005 budget message, the supervisor called the department's current staffing levels "grossly inadequate and prevents the department from providing the level of safety and security this community expects and deserves." The number of patrol officers available for duty is the same as it was in 1988, Mr. Horton added.

The town would be "negligent" if it failed to act quickly, said the supervisor.

Appearing before the board Tuesday morning, Police Chief Ty Cochran said his force now has 45 officers available for patrol duty. That number stood at 43 in 1988, but at that time, the Village of Greenport maintained its own police force, with nine full-time and eight part-time officers. The village abolished its force in 1994 and the town became fully responsible for patrolling the one-square-mile community.

"The incidents we're covering in the town are becoming more complicated and require more backup," the chief told the board. He added that police have noticed gang "tags," the symbols that could indicate the presence of known criminal groups. "We need to increase the size of our patrols," he said.

The supervisor said the department now operates with four officers per shift. The new hires would allow for five-officer squads,

Mr. Horton said the additional cops would permit the town to provide one officer to patrol the village and another to cover East Marion and Orient. Those three communities now lie within the same sector. If an officer is dispatched to a call in Greenport, there's no coverage at that time for the eastern areas, or the reverse.

As a Greenport resident, the supervisor said, "I don't feel comfortable and I don't feel represented."

The additional officers would allow the department to create a COPE unit (Community Oriented Patrol and Enforcement) to work with community groups to address specific issues and, in the supervisor's words, "areas of reoccurring unlawful activity."

Additional officers also are needed to provide coverage for the many public events, such as the annual strawberry and maritime festivals, that are drawing an increasing number of visitors, the supervisor said. He estimated that this year's events brought an additional 75,000 people to Southold. Police overtime costs for the Tall Ships Challenge alone reached $8,000 to $10,000, according to Captain Marty Flatley.

Councilman John Romanelli said there is no doubt about the need for the additional officers. "There's a half-million hit to the budget, but there are certain things you've got to pay for," he said.

(Photo) >Councilman Bill Edwards (right) listening as Police Chief Ty Cochran (center) makes his pitch Tuesday for five new patrol officlers. Captain Marty Flatley is at left.
Suffolk Times photo by Tim Kelly