Crime & Safety

Report: US Attorney Launches Investigation Into Southampton PD

The investigation comes as missing evidence is recovered.

The Feds are investigating the Southampton Town Police Department, according to a report published by Newsday Thursday.

The article states that a source close to the case says the U.S. attorney's office "got involved this month after it received documents that detailed a number of alleged problems in the department."

Read the article at Newsday.com.

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The news comes just days after Southampton Town Police Chief Robert Pearce told 27east and Newsday that evidence from the department's disbanded Street Crime Unit that had gone missing from a secure evidence room has resurfaced.

The evidence was needed as part of an internal investigation into the Street Crimes Unit, Pearce said.

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Newsday also reported that documents provided to the U.S. attorney's office, as well as several media outlets, included felony and misdemeanor charges that former Police Chief William Wilson had prepared against Lt. James Kiernan, the former commander of the Street Crime Unit. The charges allege that Kiernan tampered with department records, to make it appear as though he worked three days when he was actually out of work. Wilson told Patch earlier this month that an auditing firm discovered the records had been altered.

Wilson told Patch the charges are active, but were never executed. He said the new police administration and the Southampton Town Board are aware of the allegation.

But Kiernan's attorney, Raymond Perini, told Patch, “There was no substance to the allegation.” He said Kiernan was out of work for two months, but he came off leave temporarily to teach a course. “There is a discrepancy of two days when he was probably working,” Perini said. “It was a mistake and it was corrected. [The accusation] was totally unfounded without any legs at all.”

Perini added, “It was totally investigated and there as no wrongdoing found.”

  • Related: 'Missing' Street Crime Unit Evidence Turns Up

The federal probe also comes as the Southampton Town Board unanimously ratified, on March 21, a stipulation of settlement allowing Police Officer Eric Sickles, a former member of the Street Crimes Unit, to return to work.

Sickles, who conducted undercover drug investigations, was suspended by Town Board action on July 10, 2012, after spending several months on medical leave related to a dependency he developed to prescription painkillers. Departmental charges accused Sickles of working under the influence of a controlled substance between January 2010 and December 2011, sleeping on duty and failing to be fit for duty.

  • Related: Town Board Reinstates Police Officer Sickles

Wilson said he was first informed of Sickles' addiction in December 2011, and he immediately had Sickles placed in a rehab program and put him on leave.

Wilson initiated a probe by Suffolk County Police Department internal affairs investigators into who knew what about Sickles, and when, and whether Sickles was allowed to work when it should have been obvious he was unfit for duty. Statements from various officers and supervisors conflicted on a number of key points.

  • RELATED: Former Chief: Police Department Failed Addicted Officer

As a result of the probe, Sickles' supervisor Lt. James Kiernan was suspended for six months before the Southampton Town Board reinstated him, over Wilson's objections, on Nov. 1, 2012. Wilson said he also believed that then-Lt. Robert Pearce should have been disciplined for his handling of the matter, but Pearce was never suspended. In fact, Pearce was promoted to captain, also over Wilson's objections, and when Wilson retired late last year, the Town Board named Pearce as chief.

The U.S. Attorney investigation is not the first time that the Southampton PD has come under investigation by an outside entity — the Suffolk County district attorney’s office initiated a review of more than 100 cases conducted by the Street Crime Unit during the time a member of the drug enforcement unit was addicted to prescription painkillers himself. The investigation resulted in convictions of purported drug dealers being thrown out, and subsequent lawsuits against the department and town.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.