Officer Niggles Named East Hampton Village Officer of the Year

East Hampton Village police chose Officer Steven Niggles as the 2013 Officer of the Year for dedication to police work, in particular his commitment to making drunken driving arrests.

Niggles, who is just 26, has only been with the department for 5 years, but he is already standing out. He made the most amount of DWI arrests — 13 — and was assigned to the Suffolk County District Attorney's DWI Task Force that works throughout the East End to catch more drunken drivers.

The Southampton Kiwanis Club presented him with the award at the annual dinner in Aquebogue on Friday.

"I'm very proud of the work he has done," Chief Jerry Larsen said.

East Hampton should be proud, too. Niggles was born and raised here; his family owns Round Swamp Farm.

He graduated East Hampton High School in 2005, and went onto to Suffolk County Community College, where he received an Associate's Degree in criminal justice.

Niggles said he always wanted to be a police officer. He graduated from the part-time Suffolk County Police Academy in 2007, and went to work as a court officer at the town justice court, before being hired at the village police department.

"The award is a nice honor," Niggle said. "For me, it shows the work doesn't go unseen or unnoticed."

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