Minorities Few on the Force

East Hampton Town and Village and Sag Harbor police chiefs, noting there are few Spanish-speaking and few African-American officers on the South Fork, said in interviews this week that they were concerned about diversity in their departments. 

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Of 63 officers in the East Hampton Town department, there are three African-Americans, one of whom has been on a long-term absence due to injury. Two officers and one sergeant speak Spanish fluently, as do one clerk and one 911 dispatcher who assist when necessary. Local police agencies also make use of a paid phone service known as Language Line when an interpreter is needed. 

The town has made strides in recent years in adding women to the force. There are nine now, one of whom is a sergeant who became the first female supervisor in the department last year. 

East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo said there had been a big push to recruit officers from different communities by encouraging people to take the Suffolk County Civil Service police test, but of the 15 to 20 Spanish-speaking officers on a recent list, only two were considered available after taking the exams. “We need the citizens to want to come and patrol,” Chief Sarlo said.

“It’s very difficult to get diversity because of the Civil Service rules, but we try,” Chief Larsen said. In the village department, none of the 27 officers is black or Spanish-speaking. One officer is Native American, and one is a woman. Only 1 of the 17 dispatchers that the department oversees speaks Spanish. 

The traffic control unit of the village department is more diverse, the chief noted, adding that supervisors encourage the often-younger group of T.C.O.s to become police officers.

Chief Austin McGuire of the Sag Harbor Police Department said he believed police departments should be reflective of their communities. Diversity comes from a range of experiences that can only be beneficial, he said. But in a small department with few openings, he said diversity was hard to achieve based on Civil Service lists. Nine of the 10 Sag Harbor officers are white men. One woman is on patrol, and one officer speaks Spanish. 

While the chiefs agree this is a challenging time to be a police officer, they are encouraged by local support. The Southampton Town Police Depart­ment, which was not included in this survey, said it received a bouquet of flowers, sent anonymously, as a show of support for those who wear the badge. 

We really want to continue to build bridges and understanding in what the police face in their daily challenges and understanding in how the community feels about working with the police,” Chief Sarlo said.