Arrests were down in 2019, according to the East Hampton Town Police Department’s annual report, released on Monday. Over all, arrests were down sharply, to 607, from 809 in 2018, though calls for service were up slightly — 18,680 versus 18,079 the year before.
Arrests for driving while intoxicated fell to a new low of 123 for the calendar year, according to the report, issued by Chief Michael Sarlo. In 2018, 139 D.W.I. arrests were made, which itself represented a 10-year low.
Last year, only one officer, Andrea Kess, achieved a D.W.I. recognition award. A year earlier, only three of the department’s 45 officers made 10 or more alcohol-related arrests. The chief pointed out at the time that 26 of the 45 had less than 10 years of police experience.
“An evaluation of causes and ongoing analysis of the impacts of reduced D.W.I. arrests on the safety of our roadways will be continued throughout 2020,” the report said. “Inexperienced officers, increased ride-sharing services, better compliance by the public, and other varying factors could be considered and will be closely monitored during 2020.”
Accident figures continued to fall in 2019, with 827 reported. The year before, 2018, was the first since 2013 that the accident numbers dropped to below 900, with 878 reported. Accidents with injuries, 151, was on par with the prior year’s figure. There was only one fatal accident in 2019, the death of John James Usma-Quintero, a bicyclist who was struck by a pickup in Montauk on Oct. 30. That driver, Lisa Rooney, faces pending vehicular homicide and drunken driving charges.
The department reported 17 sex offense-related cases in 2019. There did appear to be a spike last year in the number of arrests related to those cases.
Burglaries, larcenies, criminal mischief, and harassment cases were all down. In 2019, there were 138 larcenies reported, as opposed to 166 the year prior. In 2016, there had been 203.
The opioid epidemic continues to be a focus for the department, though the town saw a decrease in overdoses and in the administration of Narcan, an opioid antidote that can reverse the effects of an overdose.
The report credited the drop, at least in part, to an increase in prescription drug “take-back” events, during which “hundreds of pounds of unwanted and expired medications have been collected for safe disposal.” Sergeant Kenneth Alversa has held numerous Narcan training sessions since 2017, in both English and Spanish, to train over 250 residents in the use of the medication.
Suffolk County over all has seen a decline in opioid abuse-related deaths, “and we remain committed to ensuring our community has the resources, support, and enforcement to continue to combat this epidemic,” said the report.
Goals for 2020 include assessing how the department is handling the new protocols under the New York Criminal Justice Reform Act, which has affected arrest processing, court paperwork preparation, case management, and discovery requirements. Impacts to staffing, overtime, and effective court preparation will be reviewed, as well as an assessment of the new mandates’ impact, if any, upon public safety and quality of life.
Under new guidelines for certification of translators in court cases, and in an effort to improve communication with the Latino community, Chief Sarlo is looking for additional civilian translators and hoping to increase telephone access to such services. He also hopes to hire more Spanish-speaking officers off the county’s Civil Service local Spanish-speaking eligible list.
