May 16, 2012 11:47 AM

Scrutiny has focused on Southampton Town and its police department in the wake of Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota’s Government Corruption Bureau seizing seven boxes of confidential police investigative files from the town clerk’s vault last week, and the D.A. having empaneled a grand jury to determine whether there was any criminal behavior in connection with the handling of the records.

Amid this backdrop, former Town Police Captain Anthony Tenaglia has spoken out—to say there was no wrongdoing.

“There were no records destroyed. There were no records missing,” the former captain, now retired, who was in charge of police headquarters at the time of the incident, said in a phone interview on Monday. “This was some concocted conspiracy theory that never occurred.”

Allegations that police documents were being improperly removed from police headquarters in Hampton Bays, or destroyed—by police brass, among others—arose during a transition in police administrations in May 2011, when Captain Tenaglia was the acting chief. The allegations surfaced publicly several months ago when it came to light that the D.A.’s office was probing the issue.

Matters intensified last week with a subpoena from the D.A’s office for police records that had been transferred to Town Hall last May following the claims of shredding, and allegations that police files were being removed from headquarters.

“It’s getting to the point that it’s looking like something was done improperly, and I just can’t let it continue and continue without saying something,” Captain Tenaglia said. “There’s nothing to hide. There’s nothing going on. Southampton Town is a good police department. It’s an honest police department. It was then and it is now.”

In addition to challenging the allegations of records tampering, the Captain Tenaglia also disputed Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst’s claim that she had been the one to order police records be transferred from headquarters to Town Hall to protect their integrity, in light of the allegations.

“I ordered those records,” Captain Tengalia stated, stressing the “I,” and saying he asked the town to take control of them during the transition between the two police administrations. “I didn’t know at that time if I was going to stay long, or not stay, because I was disappointed I didn’t get made the chief of police, so I was considering retiring rather soon. So I said, ‘These are extremely sensitive records. I would be uncomfortable leaving these extremely sensitive records unattended. I want them to be safeguarded.’”

He said he then called the town’s labor attorney, Vincent Toomey, and that the arrangement was made with Mr. Toomey, under the guidance and direction of Town Clerk Sundy Schermeyer, for the records to be safeguarded.

Captain Tenaglia, who became captain in 1990—the same year former Police Chief James Overton became chief—served as the former chief’s executive officer until Chief Overton retired in April 2011. Though widely seen as his presumptive successor, Captain Tenaglia was ultimately passed over for the job, which went to then-Southampton Village Police Chief William Wilson Jr. Captain Tenaglia officially retired in February 2012. Prior to retiring, he had not been at work since the end of September when he left to have a cervical operation.

Captain Tenaglia would not get into any more detail of the records other than to say they were “extremely sensitive documents.”

According to a copy of the subpoena, the D.A’s office sought “any and all records, documents, files, folders, boxes, audio recordings, video records or other images transported on or about May 13, 2011,” as well as “any and all logs, records, sign in/out sheets, file request forms for the materials referenced above, reflecting who gained access, review or possession of materials,” since May 13, 2011. It states that all subpoenaed materials will be retained pending the final resolution of a grand jury’s investigation.

Accompanying the subpoena was a Town Police memo dated May 13, 2011, stating that the seven boxes of folders “represent every confidential personnel police investigation from the police department from the years 1990-2009,” nearly the entire span of the Overton-Tenaglia administration. The memo was signed by Captain Tenaglia, as well as Sergeant Michael Joyce, who escorted the records; Town Management Services Administrator Russell Kratoville, who received them; and Town Clerk Sundy Schermeyer, who transported them.