Riverhead police report: alarm-billing push, SRO program praised

Chief Ross presented the police department nnual operational snapshot at the July 16 work session, summarizing May and June incident and criminal-case counts and describing changes to alarm-billing operations intended to boost department revenue.

"We actually sent out, I believe, approximately 170 bills, this past week," Chief Ross said, describing work by central records and IT to re-establish consistent billing after an automation loss. He told the board he expects to see improved collections in the coming months.

Chief Ross also walked through monthly incident totals and criminal counts, noting domestic incidents rose compared with April but saying he did not see an identifiable pattern of broader concern. A council member asked whether underreporting might be linked to immigration or deportation fears; Chief Ross said he was not aware of that and highlighted department outreach to the Hispanic community, including attendance at a mass and SRO interactions in schools.

Council members praised the SRO program as a way to build relationships between officers and students. A council member asked about SRO funding; officials clarified that SROs are police officers paid by the police department and are partially reimbursed by the school board, and that Riverhead Police Department SROs currently cover the Riverhead School District but not neighboring districts.

The board did not take formal action on policing policy at the work session; the presentation served as an informational update.

Why it matters: the billing changes could affect near-term department revenue and the SRO program remains a focal point for council interest in school safety and community outreach.