Department History

The Town of Southold, New York is located on the North Fork on the eastern end of Suffolk County, Long Island, approximately 100 miles from New York City. It is sixty (60) square miles of land surrounded on three sides by water and is primarily agricultural in nature. The population in 1997 was about 23,000 persons, increasing to almost 60,000 in the Summer months. Its proximate location to water makes it an ideal Summer tourist area and tourism is its second industry following agriculture.

Historically, the Town of Southold is the first English settlement in the State of New York. It was founded in the year 1640 by a group of thirteen families from the New Haven (Connecticut) Colony. At the time, Long Island had been given, in the form of a grant, to the Lord Stirling by King George.

The center of the Department insignia recognizes that grant in that it bears the seal of the Town of Southold. In the center of the seal is a sign symbolic of Lord Stirling. The cross velow is the Cross of St. Andrew which represents the Scottish ancestry of Stirling. The upper left hand quadrant of the insignia bears the seal of the Royal Coat of Arms and has been included to represent the English heritage of the Town of Southold. The upper and lower right quadrants contain the thirteen stars and stripes of the first official flag of the United States and indicate that the Town was already in existence and functioning at the time of independence. The banner in the lower portion proudly proclaims the founding date of 1640. The lower left hand quadrant bears a ship's wheel which symbolizes the Town's dependence and relationship with the sea. From early means of transportation and supply, through shipping and whaling, to present day commercial fishing and recreational abundance, the sea has always been part of, and nurturance to, the Town of Southold. The colors have been selected as the colors of England's flags and that of our nation along with gold symbolizing the richness of both our heritage and our life. The overall shape is that of a shield-fitting for a police department.

View Southold Town Police historical photos.