The Southampton Town Kiwanis Club honored police officers from both East Hampton Town and Village at an awards dinner on Jan. 31, with Nicole Fierro winning Officer of the Year for the town and three officers taking home the same award for the village.
The village officers, Sgt. Wayne Gauger, Officer John Clark, and Officer Robert Greene, were recognized for their roles in the Aug. 31 arrest of Alexis Ramirez-Reyes, a Bridgehampton man who reportedly reached for a loaded handgun during a scuffle with the trio.
Having pulled Mr. Ramirez-Reyes over for “inadequate” taillights and having an “obstructed view,” Officer Clark noticed an “AR-15 style rifle” on the floor, which he later determined was an airsoft gun. Then, Sergeant Gauger and Officer Greene arrived at the scene as backup.
When Mr. Ramirez-Reyes “refused” to leave the vehicle, the officers grabbed his hands and pulled him to the ground, at which point Mr. Ramirez-Reyes allegedly reached for the Glock 19, which later proved to be loaded with a live 9-millimeter round.
“You never know with traffic stops,” said Lt. Jack Bartelme, about the village award. “You don’t know what you’re going to come across. Every stop can be different.”
Out here, “it’s not common, guns on people.” Nonetheless, the lieutenant said, “We’re happy in the outcome — happy no one got hurt.” Later, he said, the department discovered that Mr. Ramirez-Reyes had gang ties. As of now, the case is still pending in the Suffolk County Criminal Court system.
For the town, Chief Michael Sarlo said in an email that Officer Fierro had a “tremendous year,” having led the department in drunken-driving arrests for the past two years. Over that same period, she has responded to over 1,000 calls, and led the department in arrest assists, meaning she is a “team player and always there for her fellow officers.”
“We get a lot of positive feedback from the community regarding her professional demeanor and willingness to go above and beyond for people with the little things that often go unnoticed,” the chief said.