It’s Detective Graffagnino now

He is now Detective Andrew Graffagnino with a promotion that came at last week’s Town Board meeting.

When he joined the Shelter Island Police Department in May 2017, he was following a long-standing family tradition. His father Thomas Graffagnino had been a New York City Police officer and his grandfather, Robert Martin, a retired Nassau County Police officer. His grandfather had the honor of pinning on the officer’s badge in 2017.

The then newly-minted officer had worked for the department for two years in a part-time capacity during peak summer hours and filling in off season, Police Chief Jim Read said.

“Andrew is an excellent addition to the police department and has a proven affinity for the community that he has sworn to protect and serve,” the chief said. “The police department is looking forward to his next 25 years of service.”

The chief’s expectations were fulfilled in a dramatic way two years later when the officer showed his quick thinking, calm demeanor and training to save the life of a 7-day infant whose frantic parents found her not breathing, her skin discolored. His partner at the time, Officer David McGayhey, credited him with adeptly rendering infant CPR, without which there might have been a very different outcome.

Officer Graffagnino was the Police Department’s Officer of the Year in 2020.

At this month’s ceremony marking Detective Graffagnino’s promotion, Chief Read praised his work ethic, while noting as chief, he has led the department long enough to say most of his officers are people he saw grow up on the Island.

He said of the current force they are “really hard working.”

Supervisor Gerry Siller officiated at the promotion ceremony.