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The Nature Conservancy's Preserve Manager Mike Scheibel makes a note that an osprey nest is active, after checking it out with his Swarovski scope. SHAYE WEAVER
Two new officers will be added to the Southampton Town Police force once they complete Suffolk County Police Academy and field training, after being appointed by the Southampton Town Board on Tuesday night.
The new officers are brothers, Jack and Thomas Spaulding, who will attend a six-month training program. According to Police Chief Robert Pearce, the two men will bring the total staffing level up to 93. One is being hired to fill a vacant position, while the second will increase the size of the force.
Also on Tuesday night, the Town Board approved the temporary promotion of Police Officer Carl Schottenhamel, who will act as a sergeant while another officer, who has not been identified, is out with an injury.
Earlier this week, Chief Pearce said he is happy with the appointments. “We are hoping, or at least I am hoping, to get the Town Board to approve hiring of even more officers in the coming months,” he said.
According to Chief Pearce, Sergeant Schottenhamel, who joined the Southampton Town Police in 2008, has been acting as the sergeant for some time now, and the Town Board’s approval makes it official. He is currently on the sergeant’s list and has already taken the necessary course to be an active-duty sergeant.
Both Jack and Thomas Spaulding were at the top of the list to join the force, Chief Pearce said. The two brothers scored the same grade, which was not made public, on the police entrance exam, and they were competing against each other for the next available Town Police position. The chief said it worked out well that two slots opened at once.
Chief Pearce said the upcoming course at the Suffolk County Academy was not originally scheduled, and that when town officials learned another round of recruits could in fact be trained, he jumped at the opportunity to send future officers. After graduation, the new officers will be required to do 12 weeks of field training, meaning it will be at least nine months before they officially join the force.
“It was critical that we placed these two officers in this academy class so they will be ready for next summer,” Chief Pearce said.
Erin McKinley on Aug 26, 2015