Security Drill Held on North Ferry

Added police presence at the terminal in Greenport Tuesday morning was only a drill, police said.

, with the Department of Homeland Security, State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Sheriff’s Department conducted a security drill on the North Ferry.

It wasn't the first. The Federal Air Marshals branch of the Homeland Security department has worked with local officials to conduct past security drills. Captain Martin Flatley of the Southold Town Police Department said the team has conducted several drills at the Cross Sound Ferry terminal in Orient, including one on Monday.

According to Flatley, the goal is to make ferry passage safe, and each department plays a different role in the drill. Flatley said the DEC checks commercial vehicles for potential violations, the air marshals check for radiation, the sheriffs and the town offer police presence, and the Southold Police Department brought in their K-9 unit. Flatley described it as extra training for the department’s canine officer.

“We had the ability to take the dog on the ferry and walk up and down the rows of cars,” said Flatley.

This morning’s drill at the North Ferry ran about four hours and was the first for the Shelter Island-based ferry company. Flatley said before the drill was conducted the team met with ferry officials. The idea, according to Flatley, was to not cause any interference or add to the ferry’s wait times, but to make ferry transportation more secure.

“We will be doing more drills throughout the year and definitely more over the summer,” Flatley said.