Police Department Made Do With Less in 2014

The East Hampton Town police had to do more with less in 2014, according to an annual report released by the department, as presented to the town board on Tuesday by Chief Michael D. Sarlo. The department saw a record number of calls to action for a force that shrunk by one, with a sharp drop in penal law arrests.

The retirements of six senior personnel, including three of the department’s top detectives, as well as Edward V. Ecker Jr., the former chief, has necessitated shifting officers into new jobs, with new responsibilities that require training, Chief Sarlo said on Tuesday. Also, new officers are doubled up for their first months on the job, meaning fewer patrol cars are on the road, he said.

An added difficulty for the department’s force is that the town budget reduced it last year by one officer, down to 64. These factors, Chief Sarlo said, “ultimately resulted in the neighborhood of 6,000 patrol hours lost off the road.”

This was a challenge for the force. “With record numbers of calls for service handled, 18,832, and decreased personnel on the road, obviously some of our enforcement numbers fell off a bit,” he said.

The number of calls for service broke the old record of 18,148, set back in 2011, by almost 10 percent.

In the report, Chief Sarlo specifically singles out enforcement of drunken-driving laws as having suffered during what was, in his eyes, essentially a year of learning for the newcomers. Arrests on drunken-driving charges were down sharply from the previous two years, during which an average of 252 were made per year. Last year, the number dropped to 186.

But too much should not be read into that drop: Chief Sarlo has made increased enforcement on the roads one of his top priorities, and the number of arrests is likely to bounce back.

In 2014 the total number of penal law arrests hit a seven-year low, as well, at 317, down from 362 in 2013. Arrests for drunken driving are not counted in the total for penal law arrests, but rather are considered vehicular arrests.

One number of note is that of road fatalities in the town: zero. It was only the second year in the last 15 that there were no road fatalities. That number typically fluctuates, however.

On the other hand, reported road accidents were at a seven-year high, at 950. The last time that number was reached was 2008, when there were 991. The number of road accidents stayed below 900 per year from 2010 through 2013.

Chief Sarlo’s number-one goal for 2015 is to continue to focus on “bias free” policing, and all officers will attend a United States Department of Justice training course this year.

He also promised to increase the enforcement of quality-of-life issues. In the report to the town, he wrote: “Creating a deterrent through increased foot and bike patrols, increasing the efficiency of traffic control officers, and continuing to work with other public safety divisions are key to enhancing the quality of life in East Hampton.”

“We are confident that over a three-year period or so, it all ends up averaging out and we will maintain the levels we have come to expect which help create a safe and secure community.”