Sag Harbor Sees Spike in Parking Tickets

Village of Sag Harbor officials say they are seeing a significant spike in the number of parking tickets issued by the village’s police officers.

In the month of June, 1,800 parking tickets were issued in Sag Harbor, with preliminary figures for July suggesting nearly 3,000 tickets written. This would match the town’s total number of parking tickets issued in 2023, all within two months.

Sag Harbor Mayor Thomas Gardella said the spike represents “the largest single month we’ve ever had in the village, outside of one month during the COVID year.”

This surge in parking tickets comes from joint efforts between the local police department and the town’s traffic control officers. Last month, the department took 1,014 calls for service and issued 195 uniform traffic tickets.

This rise in tickets has significantly contributed to Sag Harbor’s recent increase in revenue, with June’s ticket revenue coming in at $148,000.

The increase also comes after Robert Drake was sworn in on April 30 as the new chief of the Sag Harbor Village Police Department, a longtime member of the agency who replaced Austin McGuire, who retired this spring in exchange for the village dropping disciplinary charges.