'Synergy' Event: Building Bridges Between Southold Police, Community

PECONIC, NY — Communication between police and the public is key — and coming together to discuss the issues has long been the goal of "Synergy" events held across Southold Town, organizers said.

Recently, the Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force hosted a "Synergy" event at the Southold Recreation Center — and members of law enforcement, elected officials, community members, and others gathered to talk about the issues facing residents, including youth.

Chris North of the Southold Town Police advisory committee moderated the discussion. New Greenport Village Mayor Kevin Stuessi said he'd like to see what he and others officials could do to better engage with the youth of the community. "We're open to suggestions," he said.

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said he was happy that the department's school resource officers had such a good relationship with local schools and students.

Others mentioned job fairs as one way to keep youth engaged, active, and away from negative influences.

In Greenport, volunteers led by Rena Wilhelm have been working tirelessly to breathe new life into the skate park and offer a place where young people can find a healthy outlet, others said.

Southold Town Councilwoman Jill Doherty said as a town board members, she feels what she can do personally is advocate for funds in the budget for youth programs; she said she'd like to see the town's youth bureau director become a full-time position. A prom dress program has gained traction and the DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, program, to warn against the dangers of alcohol and drug use, is critical, she said.

Dr. Anne Smith, the former superintendent of the Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District — Smith is also running for Southold Town board in the November election — also echoed her appreciation for the "great relationship" the town's schools have with the police department's school resource officers. She agreed that the youth bureau director position should be full-time.

She asked the chief what non-criminal issues police were dealing with, and how "we, as a community, can help you with that."

"One of the biggest things is mental health issues with young people," Flatley said.

The Family Service League's DASH program, which allows for telehealth phone calls in the field to evaluate those in mental crisis, has been invaluable in determining next steps, Flatley said.

"We've made efforts to make it easier for youth in crisis," Flatley said.

A significant challenge in schools revolves around the use of social media and the repercussions social media has on the school community, Flatley said.

Suffolk County Sheriff 's Office Chief Deputy Sheriff Christopher Brockmeyer also spoke about Sheriff Toulon's focus on reaching the youth of the community "before they end up in our facility. We try to get to youth before they get to us," he said.

Numerous programs are embraced by the sheriff's office, including the Sandy Hook Promise program, which teaches students to know the signs of someone in distress and to say something to an adult.

Also, the sheriff's office utilizes the Gang Resistance Education And Training, or G.R.E.A.T., school-based, police officer instructed program to help prevent against gang activity and substance abuse, Brockmeyer said. There have also been presentations in schools including active shooter training, "Stop the Bleed" training to help teach how to stop bleeding in an emergency situation, and anti-vaping programs.

The Sheriff's Explorers program also teaches kids about careers in law enforcement.

Many of the presentations are free to schools upon request, he said. "I think the days of slapping handcuffs on people to fix the problem is not the way we are doing business," Brockmeyer said. "Of course, it's needed at times." But he said he agreed with Flatley that mental health is a huge issue, largely due to the stress placed on young people due to social media and bullying, as well as the pandemic.

James Banks, chairman of the Southampton Anti-Bias Task Force, college coordinator of multi-cultural affairs at Suffolk County Community College, and co-chair of the African-American Educational Cultural Festival in Riverhead, said that organizations just worked with the Suffolk County Police Department and the sheriff's office on a presentation on gangs, guns and violence — due to the recent shooting death of a 15-year-old in Calverton.

He also pointed to efforts to get body cams and dash cams for Southampton Town police, "always needed" for protetion of both officers and the community. He also talked about a "positive ticketing program," to reward youth for good work and deeds.

Southold Town Councilman Brian Mealy stressed the need to bring young people to the proverbial table, and "Synergy" meetings. "We need new people to regenerate and recharge — and we need to get young people involved," he said.

He also agreed the town's youth bureau director position should be full-time, wants to make sure Flatley has the budget to do what's needed, and embraced the "positive ticketing program."

Even when kids make mistakes, he said, "we need to give them the resources to make better choices."

Anti-Bias Task Force member Mike Domino said there are largely positive interactions with police in Southold, with a scarcity of "pre-dawn raids on houses and SWAT teams with AK-47s" such as in the arrest of Roger Stone, former President Donald Trump's political operative.

"What is it that you have in place that prevents that kind of rush to judgment?" Domino asked.

Flatley said, "It's not an 'us against them' atmosphere. We're unique in Southold Town. Out of our 54 officers, about 51 live in town." Officers are living and working in the same community as those they interact with professionally, he said. "We're looking to protect members of the public — that's our job," Flatley said. "We're not here to arrest or lock up people. There are situations where there is no choice, but we're always, there's a push to more community-oriented policing. I think our officers do a really good job in following that approach."

One woman suggested that the ABTF reach out to young people who are already involved in already-existing school clubs, to partake in "Synergy" meetings.

"One things missing is the students," Banks said. In Hauppauge, he said, one meeting involved students; officers of the law served them pizza, "which was really wonderful," Banks said. "They were able to sit with the officers and to hear about their great personalities, and the officers were able to learn from those young people, too." He suggested ABTF members bring students to the meetings and let them participate. "I think you’ll find some very interesting feedback from them," Banks said.

Another woman asked if each school district has an anti-bullying program.

The woman said her grandson "took the pandemic very hard." A girlfriend of one of his best friends told him, "'You're such a mess. Why don't you just kill yourself?'" she said.

Although he's doing well now, the woman stressed how critically important anti-bullying programs are.

Smith said while the programs exist in schools the topic might be a good conversation for the youth bureau; Doherty added that while bullying is addressed in the DARE program, more can always be done. School resource officers said they discuss cyber bullying as part of the DARE program.

Mealy said many kids are facing issues such as hunger and as a community, everyone should look out for their neighbors.

Banks added that sensitivity training was important for law enforcement. Flatley discussed a new policy manual that's been created; he also said there's been outreach on how to file a complaint with the police and how that process works. And Doherty said the accreditation process for the police department is moving forward. She also mentioned the effectiveness of youth court.

Justice Brian Hughes spoke about the East End Regional Intervention Court, created to help non-violent, substance abusing defendants find a path forward.

When asked what issues of bias were seen in Southold Town, Val Shelby, co-chair of the ABTF, said residents work together. "Southold Town is a really good community," she said. "We've had issues but we work it out — and the chief is always there; he comes to every single one of our meetings."

Domino agreed, pointing to how the whole town galvanized in support of students after a Pride-decorated Christmas tree was vandalized.

"The ABTF did not have to marshal the troops," Domino said. "Everyone came out on their own — Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, and the entire community. Businesses donated a new tree and everyone worked together to get the message out, that we were not going to tolerate this in our town." He added: "This isn't utopia by any stretch of the imagination — but we do work hard."

Past Synergy events have been held in Peconic, Greenport, and Mattituck, with the community bringing concerns on a wide range of topics, including enhanced communication and trust with police, fears among immigrants, how to create a bridge to the Latino community, school issues, and how to combat racism and discrimination.

Coming together to air questions and concerns is critical, said Russell.

"Communication is one of the best ways we can address what seems to be a growing chasm nationally between law enforcement and communities. Distrust and misunderstanding, whether valid or not, exists. By bringing varying segments of the community and law enforcement together, we can improve our understanding of the differing perspectives that we all have," he has said during past interviews. "Communication removes walls. Perhaps initiatives like these, not just in Southold, but in communities everywhere, can build bridges over that chasm."