Riverhead police celebrate promotion of new sergeant
The Riverhead Town Police Department officially has a new sergeant on its force.
Sgt. Matthew Suprina, who was hired as a full-time police officer in 2018, was sworn in as a Riverhead police sergeant by Chief Ed Frost on Tuesday, Feb. 3 with his wife Debbie, and young daughter, Charlotte, by his side.
His fellow uniformed officers lined the Riverhead Town Hall board room in support. His mother, Renee Suprina, sat in the audience beaming with pride.
The Riverhead Town Board unanimously voted to approve Mr. Suprina’s promotion and his new role officially begins Wednesday. He fills the role of former Sgt. John Vail, who retired at the start of the year.
A request was made from the Suffolk County Department of Civil Service to provide a list of qualified candidates for the sergeant position, and Mr. Suprina was listed as the top candidate, according to the town board resolution.
Mr. Suprina was one of the police officers who rescued three people from a fast-moving house fire on Newton Avenue in August 2024. He and the two other officers were honored for their heroic actions with awards from the town that same month.
