Westhampton Beach Village Police officers were all in uniform at the last Village Board meeting on the evening of January 3 to witness the appointments of a new detective and new full-time police officer to their team.
With recommendations from Police Chief Trevor Gonce to the board, Officer Brian Prescott, who has been with the department since 2003, was promoted to detective, and a part-time officer, Kevin Klokel, was promoted to a full-time position.
Mr. Prescott had been working as an officer in the Detective Division of the department since October 2017, under Sergeant Stephen McManus. He received the necessary training during that time, and Chief Gonce said that he was now ready to be promoted, becoming the department’s only current detective.
He will be receiving an annual pay raise of $8,207, bringing his base pay from $114,037 to $122,244.
Prior to working for the Westhampton Beach department, Mr. Prescott was with the New York Police Department for five years. He was getting ready to go into an investigative detail with that department in 2003 when he instead decided to join the Westhampton Beach team, Chief Gonce said.
“He has the skills, and he’s doing what we need done. I mean, really, he’s doing a great job for the village,” Chief Gonce said. “He’s so thorough. He’s not gonna be a letdown, that’s for sure.”
Mayor Maria Moore said in a text message that Mr. Prescott’s “organizational skills and eye for detail have been an asset to the department. He is well deserving of the promotion to detective.”
Mr. Klokel, from Westhampton Beach, has been with the department as a part-time officer since February. He has eight years of law enforcement experience, including part-time positions with Suffolk County Police Department and the Quogue Village Police Department. He will be making an annual base pay of $55,036.32.
“He did a great job while he’s been here and we welcome him to the department,” Chief Gonce said at the meeting. “He’s going to be a great asset and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Chief Gonce, who oversees 13 full-time officers, said in an interview that he promoted Mr. Klokel to fill the vacancy that would have been left by Mr. Prescott, as well as to even out a shortage of patrol officers.
“Although Officer Klokel has been with us as a part-time officer for less than one year, he is not new to policing, and his years of experience will make him a valuable addition to our [department],” Ms. Moore said in a text.
Staff Writer on Jan 8, 2019