Southold Town Police Chief Retiring

Longtime Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley is retiring at the end of this month, when Capt. Steven Grattan will be appointed acting chief, a position that may become permanent in time.

The Southold Town Board on June 4 unanimously accepted Flatley’s retirement, which was a stipulation of an agreement to resolve his suspension after he and three town police officers whose names were not released were disciplined for ignoring residents’ complaints about a gathering during the COVID-19 shutdown.

The incident took place in May 2020, when members of its department held a retirement party at a tree farm in Cutchogue for then-Sgt. Steven Zuhoski. The gathering was held amid mandates of social distancing during the early days of the pandemic, and officers ignored complaints about the event violating rules in place at the time.

Flatley, who has 13 years as chief, was reinstated in October 2022. More recently, he oversaw town police taking over patrols of Fishers Island after New York State police withdrew troopers from the island, citing hazardous conditions in the town-owned barracks there.