Resident Calls For Transparency, Talks Town's Police Commissioners

SOUTHOLD, NY — An Orient woman had some questions Tuesday night about the Southold Town board of police commissioners and the process by which the public can file a complaint with the Southold Town Police Department.

Allison Skrezec began by asking if it's true that the Southold Town Police Department is soon to be accredited.

According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, accreditation is a "progressive and contemporary way of helping police agencies evaluate and improve their overall performance", providing formal recognition that an organization meets or exceeds general expectations of quality in the field.

The New York State accreditation program was instituted in 1989 and focuses on four primary goals, including to increase "the effectiveness and efficiency of law enforcement agencies utilizing existing personnel, equipment and facilities to the extent possible, to promote increased cooperation and coordination among law enforcement agencies and other agencies of the criminal justice services; to ensure the appropriate training of law enforcement personnel; and to promote public confidence in law enforcement agencies," the page says.

The accreditation program is made of of a set of standards and addresses issues such as "agency organization, fiscal management, personnel practices, and records management," training standards, and operations standards, dealing with "critical and litigious topics as high-speed pursuits, roadblocks, patrol, and unusual occurrences," NYS DOCJS said.

Southold Town Councilman Jim Dinizio said the accreditation process is expected to begin soon.

According to Dinizio, the town's police advisory committee has asked Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley to include funding for an extra sergeant to complete the process and maintain accreditation moving forward. It is estimated that the process would take the person, working full time, a year to a year and a half to review and update all of the information to qualify for accreditation. After that, it would take about half of his time to keep the town current, Dinizio said.

Skrezec also said she'd like to see improvements on the Southold Police Department's website; for example, she'd like to see links for department policies.

She also asked who served as the police commissioner in town; Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said all six members of the town board serve as police commissioners.

Dinizio said the accreditation process is meant to enhance communication with the public and address issues such as how police talk to the public, as well as how prisoners are handled, if space provided is adequate for prisoners, and other policies and procedures.

Skrezec said she's also like to see statistics regarding complaints that come in, which are most common and which are substantiated. She pointed to Suffolk County Police's civilian complaint procedure, which, she said, allows for individuals filing a complaint to receive a tracking number, as well as the name of the person handling the investigation.

She then asked if the police commissioners are aware of all the complaints that are called in to town police.

Russell said if complaints come to the board from the public, the board discusses them with the chief of police in a work session, and possibly with labor counsel — but the public needs to know to contact the commissioners.

Skrezec asked if the board was aware of complaints that individuals may have filed with other agencies including the New York State Police.

"I think the lack of communication here is something to worry about," she said. "I think everyone is a little bit scared."

Southold Town Councilman Bob Ghosio asked her what had piqued her interest in the issue; Skrezec said she was very interested in accreditation and had worked on similar policies in the medical community through her work.

"I'm a little concerned," she said. "I believe we have some wonderful police officers, but they can't police themselves."

Suffolk County, she added, has an annual report listing 20 categories of complaints that are investigated and either substantiated or exonerated, on issues including proper supervision, illegal search and seizure, false arrest, excessive force, damaged property, and bias in policing.

Dinizio said he would like to be receiving monthly reports, to ensure standards are up to date and to keep abreast of training. He said the accreditation process would be beginning within the year.

Skrezec asked the board about police procedures regarding complaints that come in.

"Maybe our failing is in not letting the public know they should come to us, as police commissioners," Russell said, adding that knowing about the complaints was critical so that the board can direct the police department in handling them.

Resident Benja Schwartz suggested the police commissioners have regular meetings.

Russell said the group is organized as a town board that also conducts police business at those meetings.

Skrezec said she'd at least like to see the complaint form up on the town's website; Dinizio said he would speak to Flatley.

When asked about Skrezec's concerns, Flatley told Patch, "I am aware of Ms. Skrezec’s comments on accreditation and complaints against our department. The police advisory committee is addressing the accreditation issue and I receive, on a regular basis, complaints from the public via my email address link on the town’s official website."

In an email after the meeting, Russell responded to a question about Skrezec's concerns: "I appreciate what she said about citizen complaints and creating transparency. I believe efforts are underway to do just that," he said.