Nassau Chief Gets Top Job

Steven E. Skrynecki, the chief of the Nassau County Police Department, will be the next chief of the Southampton Town Police Department, while East Hampton Village Police Chief Gerard Larsen, who was one of the final candidates in the search, is staying put.

During a work session last Thursday, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman announced that Chief Skrynecki, a Southampton Town homeowner, had accepted an offer, “which I’m thrilled about,” he said. The town board is expected to vote on approving his two-year contract in a special meeting next Thursday, a vote the supervisor said he expected will be unanimous.

“I was looking forward to the opportunity,” Chief Larsen said of the Southampton job, “but it didn’t pan out, and I will continue to work hard for the village.” His career spans 30 years, 14 of them as chief.

Chief Skrynecki, who is 64, will not start in Southampton until Jan. 16. He will be retiring from his $237,636-per-year position in Nassau.

In the interim, he will meet, at least once a week, with the Southampton department and the community, Mr. Schneiderman said. Capt. Lawrence Schurek, another of the finalists in the search, will be named the acting police chief. Robert Pearce, the current chief, is retiring on Friday, Sept. 30.

Chief Skrynecki has plenty to keep him busy for now, as he is in charge of security for the presidential debate at Hofstra University on Monday. He did not return a call for comment.

Having been in law enforcement for 42 years, he has held nearly every position in the Nassau Police Department, Mr. Schneiderman said. He is a certified F.B.I. hostage negotiator and is Nassau’s second in command, after the police commissioner.

Chief Skrynecki’s salary has not yet been released, as his contract has not been fully ironed out. Chief Pearce’s base salary as of January was $182,212 per year.