Daniel Hartman never had any intention of becoming a police officer. But, on Monday, he referred to his job with the Quogue Village Police Department as “the most gratifying thing” he’s ever done.
On Friday, Mr. Hartman was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant, filling the position left vacant in June when former Lieutenant Christopher Isola assumed the role of chief.
“It’s amazing—it’s a very humbling feeling to be 34 years old and to be in this position,” Lt. Hartman said of his promotion, sitting in the front office of the Jessup Avenue police station on Monday. “I’m honored. I’m very grateful. My family is ecstatic.”
Lt. Hartman joined the Quogue Village Police department as a part-time officer in 2008, after graduating from the Suffolk County Police Academy in 2007. He quickly moved up the ranks, earning a full-time position in 2009, and being promoted to sergeant in 2015.
For nearly five years, he supervised a squad of three full-time police officers, as well as managed the department’s electronic ticketing system.
Lt. Hartman said he owes his success to his Westhampton Beach High School best friend, William Jansen, who is currently a Maryland State Trooper and paramedic.
At 21-years-old, Lt. Hartman was in the process of completing his second year as a liberal arts and science major at Suffolk County Community College. That’s when Mr. Jansen convinced him to fill out a part-time application with the Southampton Town Police Department.
Lt. Hartman’s original intention was to graduate with his associate’s degree and transfer to Stony Brook University to pursue a degree in pre-med.
“I ended up not liking it as much as I thought,” he said of his pursuit to become a cardiothoracic surgeon—a path he chose at a young age following his grandfather’s fatal heart attack. “Long story short, I got this job.”
In conjunction with working as a part-time officer with the Quogue department in 2007, Lt. Hartman also worked as a Southampton Town part-time police officer, where he managed “foot traffic” at the former Neptune Beach Club in Hampton Bays. He said it was a “different pace” working as a part-time officer with the Quogue Village Police.
“Coming here, they treated you like any other full-time officer,” he said, noting that upon receiving his badge, he was assigned his own geographical sector to patrol regularly.
“My first week out in the public, dealing with people, was amazing. You’re on a call, and as much time as you need to handle that call, you do it,” he continued. “So now, I got to appreciate what it was like to finally have time for people again. I wanted to become a doctor to help people, and now that I’m here, I’m actually able to help people and give them my time … and a little bit of time goes a long way.”
Chief Isola said last week that Lt. Hartman is now the department’s second in command, noting that he is now in charge of supervising the department’s three sergeants.
“Dan quickly displayed his skills as a leader of those under his command,” Chief Isola said of his successor’s previous responsibilities as a sergeant. “I am confident that Lt. Hartman will do an excellent job as he takes on this challenging position.”
Staff Writer on Apr 22, 2019