Southold set to close on property for new police station, Justice Court

Southold's new police station and Justice Court will be just a stone's throw away from where the facilities now sit. 

After five years of looking for a building, the town said last week it is close to finalizing a $1.4 million deal to purchase a 3.79-acre property immediately west of the existing police headquarters on Main Road in Peconic.

A closing is expected by the end of the year.

Officials say the current facilities are outdated and a new complex will enhance public safety, and, for the first time in decades, provide a dedicated court building. 

Police chief Martin Flatley said the department has outgrown the current building, which is more than 50 years old.

He said the improvements will help bring the police department closer to a longtime goal of accreditation. The voluntary process, which aims to improve public confidence in law enforcement, includes reviewing police procedures and policies to ensure compliancy with national standards.

“There’s a lot of things that have to be caught up to meet some of the accreditation standards,” he said. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

The five-year construction project, once the sale is finalized, will include site upgrades to improve the traffic flow at the adjoining property, which contains a police impound lot, town animal shelter and highway department yard.

The police building will include an expanded dispatch room for the department, which also handles calls for Shelter Island Town police and eight area fire departments, property and evidence rooms, modernized interview rooms and holding cells that meet state requirements.

Court and town officials have been advocating for an updated Justice Court for years. Currently, proceedings are held in the same room as town board meetings.

Court offices are located in a modular unit behind town hall.

“It’s not the right way to do business, and with the town growing, it’s time,” said council member Jill Doherty. “We need a proper courthouse.”

In 2018, the town acquired a former bank on Main Road for $3.1 million, intending to use it for a new court. But renovating the building proved to be costly and the building is now used as a town hall annex.

Town officials previously estimated the cost of building to be around $20 million. They declined to estimate current projected costs.

The board authorized a $1 million bond for the engineering phase on Oct. 10, which allows town engineer Michael Collins to solicit designs.

Collins said the property is in the “optimal" location." “Everything else we looked at was a retrofit to an existing building, and it just won’t work.” 

The new courthouse is expected to include recommendations from a 2022 plan by the town’s Justice Reform and Review Task Force that could include additional technology and signs in multiple languages.

Tax records show the property is owned by Southold attorney Scott DeSimone, who did not return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.