The New York State Troopers Troop L commander is looking to consolidate their dispatch operations by removing the dispatcher from the desk at Riverside and transferring the duties to the Farmingdale Barracks.  

Many members of the community feel safer knowing there is a trooper stationed in Riverside 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to walk ins.  We are also concerned that the trooper barracks are operating with a skeleton crew, and we need the largest presence as possible.  Several retirees haven't been replaced, 2 Junior Officers were transferred earlier this year and still haven't been replaced either.  Consolidating dispatch will be yet another officer taken out of Riverside to be utilized elsewhere.  

Our liaison on the Southampton Town Council Christine Scalera penned a letter to the governor asking him to reconsider this decision and leave the barracks open. Assemblyman Fred Thiele and Senator Ken Lavalle have also secured funding for the dispatcher, now the governor just has to allocate it and agree to spend it the way the community wants.

The land the barracks sits on was donated by the Town of Southampton to house the new barracks amid wild community support.  We now feel the Troopers aren't keeping up their end of the bargain by not keeping it open all the time to the public. We also feel the trooper presence in Riverside is vital to the revitalization plans currently underway there.  

For additional information, please read these two recent articles regarding the consolidation of dispatch services.  

http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/Riverside/129647/Troopers-Say-Plan-To-Lock-Riverside-Barracks-At-Times-Still-Moving-Forward​

http://riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com/2015/11/69431/politicians-urge-state-to-keep-riverside-barracks-open-to-public/