Quogue Police Sergeant Retires After 22 Years Of Service

Quogue Police Lieutenant Chris Isola was about to break down a door to help rescue a family trapped inside a burning home, when he felt someone tugging at his belt.That someone was Village Police Sergeant Edward Seltenreich, who, like Lt. Isola, had responded to the alarm. But, unlike his superior officer, Sgt. Seltenreich knew that properly equipped firefighters had just arrived on the scene to rescue those inside.

That moment, which took place several years earlier, best exemplifies the type of coworker Sgt. Seltenreich has always been, not only to Lt. Isola, who graduated from Westhampton Beach High School alongside the sergeant in 1983, but to all of his fellow officers in blue.

“He was an asset to us and he will be missed,” Lt. Isola said last Thursday, July 30, which was Sgt. Seltenreich’s last day of work as an officer with the Village Police Department.

Sgt. Seltenreich, a member of the Village Police for the past 22 years, officially retires on August 31 but is using his accumulated vacation time between now and then.

On his last official day on the job, Sgt. Seltenreich—perhaps best identified by his signature mustache—was greeted by a pair of bagpipers and his fellow police officers and superiors who had formed two lines as they prepared to congratulate him.

Several family members and friends, some with black stick-on mustaches affixed to their faces, also were in attendance to wish the outgoing sergeant a happy retirement.

“There are a lot of incredible guys and girls that work there,” said Sgt. Seltenreich, who worked three years for the Southampton Town Police Department before being hired by Quogue Village Police in 1993. “It’s a place that the administration, the police officers, Village Hall—everyone gets along. It’s a really nice place to work.”

Sgt. Seltenreich, 51, was promoted to sergeant in 2006 and, since that time, has been responsible for answering calls, training new officers, filing reports and securing grants for the department.

“He worked well with the other sergeants,” said Quogue Police Chief Robert Coughlan, who was a lieutenant when he helped hire Sgt. Seltenreich more than two decades earlier. “He’s very well-respected. He did a great job during his tenure.”

Though he has no set retirement plans, Sgt. Seltenreich said he intends to spend more time with his wife, Jenn, their two adult children, Briana Gladding and Ronan Seltenreich, and his infant grandson, Cooper.

“We’re really proud of him,” said Ms. Gladding, who is married to Quogue Village Police Officer Alex Gladding, after her father exited Village Police headquarters for the final time last week. “For everyone in the community to know him in such a good way … it’s a really good thing.”

Her brother, meanwhile, intends to continue in his father’s footsteps as he will be entering the Suffolk County Police Academy in September.

“He’s done a lot in the past 24 years here,” Ronan Seltenreich said, referring to his father’s tenure with the Quogue and Southampton Town police departments.

Quogue Police Sergeant Dan Hartman was appointed to his new post on June 1 and, since that time, has been working under and learning from Sgt. Seltenreich.

As for Sgt. Seltenreich, he said he enjoyed his time in Quogue, pointing to the size of the department and the village that it serves.

“It’s much more close-knit,” he said. “You really know the community and people you work with.”

Village Board members, meanwhile, intend to honor the retired sergeant at their next meeting on Friday, August 21.

“He’s not a sit still kind of person,” Lt. Isola said of his longtime friend and coworker. “I’m sure he’s going to … go out and do other things. Hopefully, it’s in a safer environment where he can wear what he wants and it’s more relaxing.”