Southampton Town Police Chief Robert Pearce To Retire

Southampton Town Police Chief Robert Pearce will retire from his post, effective July 24, after more than three decades of service.His retirement was announced at a Town Board work session last Thursday, April 7. If a replacement is not found before his official retirement date, Chief Pearce can stay on until September 30 without it affecting his pension.A Remsenburg resident, Chief Pearce, 59, climbed the ranks on the Town Police force over 35 years. He started as a Nassau County corrections officer in 1978, and in 1981 joined the Southampton Town Police force as a patrol officer.Chief Pearce worked in the department’s Street Crime Unit beginning in 1986, until he was promoted to sergeant, also working in patrol, in 1987. In 1993, he was promoted to lieutenant and patrol commander, a role in which he was in charge of the department’s patrol division.In 2007, he was promoted to commander of the detective division. Another promotion, to captain, followed in March 2012. And then he was appointed chief in December 2012 after Chief William Wilson retired earlier that year.“My years in patrol were the most fulfilling … when you are out there with the troops actually enforcing the law,” Chief Pearce said last week. “Being the chief of police, it is an administrative job and concerns with the budget and working together with elected officials to get the job done. It’s a different kind of job and task.”Chief Pearce said there have been drastic changes within Southampton Town during his 35-year tenure. “When I came out here in 1981, it was amazing that many of the homes didn’t have street numbers,” he said. “The amount of growth in the township over the past 35 years had demands on the Police Department to do more with less.”The chief said he has been pleased to see a gradual increase in the number of officers on the force over the last few years. When he became chief, there were 89 officers, and now there are 96, which he said is closer to a proper staffing level of 100 officers.Initially, Chief Pearce had intended to retire this month, but Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman asked him to stay. “He wanted some time to get used to the administration,” the chief said of the supervisor, adding that he did not mind because he can work until the end of September.Mr. Schneiderman noted that the department would like to find a new chief by that time because, under the terms of Chief Pearce’s contract, he can only earn no more than $30,000 after he retires on July 24. “He is right up to the limit there at the end of September,” Mr. Schneiderman said.According to Town Management Services Administrator Russell A. Kratoville, as of April 10, Chief Pearce, who makes an base annual salary of $182,212, had more than 320 days of unused sick time, but is entitled to a buyout of only 280 days, which will be paid at the rate of his average salary over the last three years. He is also entitled to 43 vacation days and four personal days.“I think he has done an excellent job,” Mr. Schneiderman said of Chief Pearce. “He did come into the department at a turbulent time. He seems to have calmed the waters, and the law enforcement is performing its function and performing its function well.”Southampton Town officials have established an advisory committee, called the Police Chief Search Steering Committee, to help and search for and vet a new chief. Members will include town elected officials and staff, as well as local law enforcement officials. They include Mr. Schneiderman, Councilwoman Christine Scalera, Deputy Supervisor Frank Zappone, Southampton Town Attorney James Burke and Mr. Kratoville, law enforcement community member Joseph Monteith and Executive Director of Organización Latino-Americana Minerva Perez.Any candidate would need to pass the state Civil Service chief’s test, which is usually administered in March. Until then, the candidate would be considered a provisional chief. Mr. Schneiderman said that the town has not yet decided on the minimum rank for a candidate who applies from within the Town Police Department to be eligible, but it is likely that it would not accept a rank lower than a lieutenant. Mr. Schneiderman said the town is still working out what the qualifications for applicants from outside the department would be, but said that chiefs from competitive departments are permitted to apply.East Hampton Village Police Chief Jerry Larsen said Wednesday that he is interested in the position, and Mr. Schneiderman confirmed that the East Hampton Village chief has “definitely expressed an interest.”“People from within certainly have familiarity with the town and with the department,” Mr. Schneiderman said. However, he added, “Going outside, we can maybe get somebody with broader experience.”