Southold to station officers on Fishers Island after state troopers leave posts

Southold officials said Friday they plan to station town officers to cover the remote Fishers Island after state troopers citing unsafe conditions at the island's police barracks left their posts Wednesday.

For more than a year, state police have raised concerns about deteriorating conditions, including an outdated electrical system at the facility, which includes offices and living quarters. Police officials said no action by the town left them "no choice" but to pack up and leave.

Members of the Southold Town Board Friday morning met with town attorneys and police officials in a closed-door meeting to find a solution.

Supervisor Scott Russell said the town “has put a plan in place. We’ll have coverage restored there shortly,” but declined to discuss the specifics of the agreement other than confirming town officers would provide police presence.

Fishers Island, while part of Southold Town, is only accessible by ferry from New London, Connecticut. It reported a population of 424 people in the 2020 Census, though town officials estimate the summer population swells to more than 2,000.

Crime statistics for the island were not immediately available. Newsday on Friday submitted a Freedom of Information Act request with New York State Police. 

State troopers have been providing police services on the island in exchange for an office and housing under an agreement with the town that goes back to at least 2015.

Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley said Friday, "As of November 1, 2023, the NYSP pulled off of the Island because of their working conditions on the Island."

Flatley said one state trooper has been typically assigned to the island from October to April, with additional troopers patrolling the island in the summer. The town provides two constables who are peace officers and are unarmed, and emergency services are provided through a volunteer fire department. A “Sea Stretcher” boat is used in emergencies to transport people to hospitals in New London. 

Flatley and town Police Benevolent Association officials could not be reached for further comment after Friday’s meeting.

Troopers lived on the island for the duration of their assignment, which could span several days at a time.

On Thursday, State Police Maj. Stephen Udice, commander of Troop L that covers Long Island, said the agency “really did not want to leave” Fishers Island. “It just got to the point where we had no choice,” he said.

Udice described rundown conditions at the barracks, including an inadequate electrical system that led to safety concerns. 

“We will still provide police resources," Udice said. "If there are any incidents out there.... we would still provide police resources, we would just do that from the next nearest State Police facility," he said, which is in Riverside in the Town of Southampton.

Southold Town said it has been working toward a solution. 

Town records show that last year, Southold approved an $8,825 agreement with Ronkonkoma-based Enviroscience for asbestos abatement at the barracks, twice advertised for bids to install a new electrical system, and authorized an emergency boiler replacement.

In January, the town also approved a $100,000 yearlong lease for a two-bedroom home for troopers. Russell said Friday the town plans to renew the lease for 2024.

“The idea was to renovate and completely rebuild the barracks. That has not changed at all,” he said. “They had to have understood that it was going to take some time.”

Residents were relieved that police will return to the island.

Elizabeth Cashel, a resident liaison to the town board, said Friday it’s important to have a police presence “no matter what community you’re in.”

She said the troopers provided a safe atmosphere and responded to everything from minor car crashes to a single-engine plane crash over the summer, during which no one was injured.  

School Superintendent Christian Arsenault said a year-round police presence is critical because of the school, regardless of which agency provides it. There are about 60 students enrolled in the K-12 school, 24 of whom commute from Connecticut daily, Arsenault said in an interview.

"It is an absolute necessity, and the well-being of our community is the most important thing," he said.