Crime in Riverhead drops nearly 30% after police force beefed up

Crime in Riverhead during the four-month stretch from June to September plunged nearly 28% year over year, continuing a downward trend after the town increased its police force, according to the latest report.

During an Oct. 16 work session, Riverhead Police Chief Ed Frost presented a monthly report which showed there were 628 criminal incidents over the busy summer season: 157 in June, 145 in July, 168 in August and 158 in September — down from 849 logged during the same period last year.

The decline comes as Riverhead has increased its police presence downtown with more patrols and officers. In the last few years, the Riverhead Police Department has bumped up its police force from 88 full-time sworn officers in 2021 to today’s historic high of over 100. A new police chief and captain have also been sworn into the department in the last year.

“It’s nice when you beef up the police department and see results like that,” Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said at the work session. “That’s exactly what it was intended to do, and it’s working like it should.”

Mr. Hubbard previously wrote in the 2026 tentative town budget that he “will not cut back on public safety.” In the breakdown of expenditures in the town’s preliminary 2026 budget, the spending for the police department, which includes personnel services, equipment and contractual costs, accounts for a significant amount of the $4.3 million general fund increase for next year.

“There is no ‘fat’ in this budget; in fact, it reflects a reduction of $319,009 in equipment and $216,000 in vehicle expenditures,” he previously stated.

Chief Frost said the police department is “adequately staffed,” which helps its specialized units deter crime in town.

In terms of arrests, 78 were made in June, 67 in July, 88 in August, and 74 in September. Since the beginning of the year, the police department has made over 700 arrests.

Over a nine-month period, the most frequent criminal offenses reported by the police department include 290 shoplifting incidents, 214 simple assaults, 109 vandalism offenses and 140 involving driving under the influence.

Looking at more major crimes since January, there have also been 24 total aggravated assaults, 19 burglaries/break-ins, 47 reported thefts from motor vehicles, 47 identity thefts, 43 drug/narcotic violations and three forcible rapes.