Scott Latham promoted to captain of Southold PD
An 28-year veteran of the Southold Police Department, Scott Latham was promoted to captain of the force April 15.
Ever since he became a patrol officer in 1997, Capt. Latham had his “eye on the front door” to move up the department ranks. He was promoted to sergeant in 2010, where he led a squad of police officers, including then-police officer Chief Steven Grattan.
“He was very motivating for me as a young officer,” Chief Grattan said, crediting some of his success in the department to his time with Capt. Latham.
In 2021, Capt. Latham was promoted to lieutenant and served as administrative lieutenant from then on. In that role, Chief Grattan said, Capt. Latham has worked diligently towards accreditation and played an “instrumental” part in the creation of the department’s policy and procedural manuals.
As lieutenant and now captain, Mr. Latham expressed his pride in his ability to affect change through department policy decisions once “you come inside.”
“You’re now affecting how the department is going to run hopefully 50, 60, 70 years from today, [with] policies that you created,” he said. “Or even by mistakes that you make … That’s the other edge of the sword. We strive to not make those mistakes, and it’s been pretty good so far.”
His favorite part of the job, since going “inside” in his administrative roles, has been attending town halls, public forums or anywhere he can answer questions from community members about the department and the role it plays in Southold Town.
Capt. Latham said that this “is an exciting time for the department,” as it looks to hire someone to fill the vacancy for an administrative lieutenant on the force. This would shore up the command staff for the department.
Chief Grattan said the new captain will help manage the department staff and the evidence collected by body-worn cameras, pursue accreditation for the force and seek out grant opportunities.
“I’m looking forward to our working relationship together and moving this agency forward,” the chief said. “I think we complement each other very well, and I think we’re going to make a good team.”
Chief Grattan recently issued a department directive regarding its objectives for 2025. They included improving community policing by getting more officers bike certified and increasing outreach efforts like Coffee with a Cop.
The captain described working with the chief as a “one brain” relationship, in which they share the same view of the department’s future.
“We both have the same love of the agency itself … the ethos and the mission of the agency,” Capt. Latham said. “We both hold that very dear to hearts and want to make it the best that we can.”
“We just love serving the people of Southold Town,” he added.
