Police Chiefs React Pensively to Shooting Deaths

A longtime resident of Sag Harbor Village, an older black man, stopped in to police headquarters this week to have a word with the police chief. Austin McGuire, a former East Hampton Town police lieutenant who took the top spot in the small village force less than a year ago, was happy to see him.

• SIDEBAR: Few Minorities on the Force 

“He wanted to talk about how concerned he is about the police and everything going on and how much he supports us,” Chief McGuire said during an interview afterward. “I said to him, correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like we live in a bubble. We don’t experience what other folks are experiencing in other parts of the country,” the chief said. Middle-class and wealthy black professionals have long been a part of the Sag Harbor community, the gentleman agreed. But even so, that didn’t mean he should have no cause for concern. 

Police chiefs The Star spoke with this week say they are not ignoring the deaths that have occurred elsewhere and are taking steps to try to ensure such violence never erupts here. Following the continued shooting deaths of black men in other parts of the country and the recent apparently retaliatory attacks on police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., they report they are thinking more than ever about community relations and officer safety. 

“It’s a difficult time to be a police officer,” Chief Michael Sarlo, a 21-year veteran of the East Hampton Town Police Department, said. He is more concerned about his officers’ safety than ever before, he said Monday, wearing a mourning band over his gold shield for the eight officers killed over the last week. “To see good, hardworking, family police officers being targeted just because they show up to work is a really tough situation for all of us to accept. It weighs on our guys — even here.”

As a leader, Chief Sarlo said, he was determined to continue building bridges with the community and ensuring that his officers treat everyone with respect. It is a philosophy he said was fostered through his predecessors and his parents, including Chris Sarlo, a longtime principal of East Hampton High School. He believes that “most agencies, most officers do the right thing” and that good training and accountability are big factors. 

“Here in Suffolk County, I think we do a very good job of addressing a lot ofthese issues with use of force and handling traffic stops and treatment of people,” he said. His officers, along with those in the East Hampton Village and Sag Harbor Village departments, have long been trained to de-escalate and diffuse situations without confrontation, using a tactic known as “verbal judo,” he said.

Last year, the East Hampton department piggybacked with the Suffolk County Police Department on a bias-free policing program given through the Department of Justice. Nearly the entire patrol division took the training, with his department one of the only East End agencies to ensure so many took part. Nevertheless, he said, reminders are needed. The three chiefs sent out memos to their officers over the past week about being vigilant and letting cool heads prevail.

East Hampton Village Police Chief Gerard Larsen said he was not only concerned about officer safety and police-targeted shooting but about the community’s safety in light of worldwide terrorism, particularly the attack in Nice, France, last week. “Emotions are running high,” Chief Larsen said. 

He has instructed officers to review the department’s use of force policies as well as freedom of speech. Just because police here believe they have a generally excellent relationship with the community, it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t come in contact with someone who feels differently, he said. “We’re a tourist community. You are getting people from all over.”

As a member of the town’s anti-bias task force, Chief Sarlo said he understands the importance of continually addressing racial tensions. In East Hampton, there is a much larger population of people whose first language is Spanish than of African-Americans. Given so large a Latino community here, he said he recognizes that immigration and mistrust for police are major factors. His department has “zero concern” about immigration status, he said, barring a felony deportation warrant. The hope is that residents will trust the police here enough to report crimes. Allowing crimes to go unreported is one of his major concerns. 

When Chief McGuire attended the Federal  Bureau of Investigation National Academy in Virginia two years ago, he met Ron Johnson, captain of the Missouri Highway Patrol who, just a few months later, would be appointed to oversee the riots in Ferguson, Mo. Even before the shooting death of Michael Brown by a white police officer, the talks Chief McGuire had with the captain about race relations in the Midwest were “eye-opening.” Having an open dialogue is key to repairing damage already done, he said. 

Chief McGuire said many communities around the country have a lack of trust in their officers. “I don’t think locally we have that issue; I’ve never been made aware of it. I think we do a good job. I think the communities are pretty happy with what they’re getting.” He said having educated, well-trained officers who have been well-vetted helps. “Is a bad apple going to slip through every now and again? Sure. But I would say 99.9 percent, you’re getting a good product.” 

Nevertheless, “Anything could happen here. I think you’d be foolish to think it couldn’t,” he said. 

The chiefs reported that few civilian complaints are filed. “Typically they revolve around how someone feels they were treated on a traffic stop,” Chief Sarlo said. “By the time you dig into some of these complaints, you find maybe the person didn’t handle the traffic stop so well themselves.” 

Ninety-five percent of traffic stops in East Hampton Town are now recorded by cameras on patrol car dashboards, installed about a year ago, and supervisors review the footage with officers. East Hampton Village police also have cameras in patrol cars, but neither department has body cameras. Sag Harbor police have neither dashboard nor body cameras, and no immediate plans to get them. 

“We strive to make sure our police officers understand how stressful it is for a civilian to be pulled over by a police officer, as well,” Chief Sarlo said. As a result of what’s happening nationally, he said, stress had risen for both officers and drivers. 

“A kid here in East Hampton may never have had an incident with a police officer ever, and when he gets pulled over for the first time, he’s going to assume what he saw on YouTube or through a news video is the way he is going to be treated by the police officer, and that’s a big concern of mine.” 

He said it had become harder for officers to do already difficult jobs because of the national rhetoric. Overall, he’s seen a respect for authority decreasing and thinks that is alarming. “We all have to come together to improve the situation.”

Earlier this year, the town Police Department distributed pamphlets titled, “What to do when stopped by the police.” Available in  English and Spanish, the material explains why an officer might pull someone over and how to behave if you are stopped. Tips include avoiding sudden movements, keeping your hands on the steering wheel, and turning on dome or interior lights so the officer can easily see inside the car at night. The pamphlet also outlines what officers should do: provide their name upon request, offer credentials if they are not in uniform, and “only use the force necessary to affect the arrest of a suspect.” 

Use of force incidents are few and far between here. They include deploying a Taser — which all officers carry on the South Fork — or using maneuvers to handcuff a defendant.  There have been seven uses of force documented  halfway through 2016 among 458 arrests and 3,567 violations. Last year, there were six in all. In East Hampton Village last year, there were 273 arrests and no use of force, Chief Larsen said. 

Officers know they are under a microscope, Chief Sarlo said. While there hasn’t been a shooting by police in East Hampton in recent memory, officers do draw their weapons from time to time. “It’s not as infrequent as you think,” he said. The officers are well prepared for such instances and training to de-escalate the situation kicks in, he said.