Northport Police Department

The Northport Police Department serves the Incorporated Village of Northport which is locatedn Suffolk County, New York. The Village of Northport sits on the north shore of Long Island and is located about 30 miles east of New York City and it is directly across the Long Island Sound from Stamford CT. Northport was settled in 1656 and was incorporated in 1894, is about 2.5 sq. miles in area, with 32 miles of roadway with two business districts, one on Main Street which terminates at Northport Harbor and the other is on State Road 25A. The population is about 8,000 people. The Northport Police Department, has 17 full time officers. All patrol and arrest processing and most investigations and training are handled in house (the Suffolk County Police Department assist in specialized cases). The department has a marine unit which patrols the waterways. In addition, the Northport Police Department is a 911 answering/dispatch center for multiple agencies. The department has one Chief of Police, one Lieutenant, four Sergeants, one Detective and ten Police Officers. There are also four part time Police Officers and two part time Harbormasters, all sworn with police/peace officer powers. The department also employs four full time Dispatchers and one Traffic Agent. Additional part time employees include four Traffic Agents, six School Crossing Guards, two unsworn Harbormasters and six Dockmasters. The Northport Police Department traces its roots back to the 1880’s when there was one “Constable” for the entire village. The department is now headed by Chief Bill Ricca who is the seventh officer to hold the title of Chief of Police in Northport, the first being appointed in 1929. ( Robert King 1929, Charles Martin 1935, Percy Erving 1954, John Trunzo 1964, Robert Howard 1980, Ric Bruckenthal 2000, and Bill Ricca 2015). In a typical year the Northport Police handle about 5,600 calls for service, investigate about 500 incidents and make about 300 arrests.