Off-Duty Officer Leaves Gun in ESM School Bathroom

An off-duty Suffolk Police officer and member of the Eastport-South Manor School Board inadvertently left a handgun in the bathroom at the Junior-Senior High School last week, setting off an emergency protocol that ended quickly when the officer returned to retrieve the weapon.

“Upon a routine school cleaning, a member of our custodial crew found a handgun in a lavatory and immediately notified building security, who worked with administration to enact an emergency protocol procedure,” reported Superintendent Joseph A. Steimel. The officer was identified as 23-year SCPD veteran David Samartino, a former U.S. Marine and father of two daughters in the school district, who also coaches girls soccer. He was elected to the school board in 2022 with his term expiring in 2025.

Suffolk PBA President Lou Civello said he has communicated with the officer, stating that the incident “shouldn't define his career.” Samartino also serves on the PBA Executive Board. “It is an unfortunate incident, but it was rectified very quickly, and no students had access to the gun, and he cooperated fully with security and Suffolk Police,” Civello noted, adding, “I know it is not something he did intentionally, and he has done everything he can to mitigate the situation.” The department’s Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the incident.

“The building principal immediately notified the police, and our security began a preliminary investigation. The restroom facility was secured by our security team, and no individuals were permitted in the area until the police arrived to conduct a thorough investigation,” according to Superintendent Steimel. “This information was determined quickly, as the off-duty officer was still in the building, in the very near vicinity of the lavatory. The off-duty officer returned to the restroom area and shared the information with our security officers. The parent cooperated with our security team, as well as with the SCPD when they arrived on the scene for their investigation of the security situation.”

File Photo

In a letter to district residents, the superintendent stated: “From there, our administrative team enacted district emergency protocols — including contacting the Suffolk County Police Department. Simultaneously, building administration alerted my office and the Board of Education of the matter, at which time the off-duty officer identified himself as the owner of the weapon and returned to the scene. All of this occurred in fluid motion over the course of approximately 15 minutes, during which time neither the weapon nor its location was accessible by anyone other than district personnel, our security team, and the police on their arrival.”

The district also reported a complaint made to the Suffolk Police regarding a school employee. "I want the community to know that a complaint was made yesterday about an employee,” said James Governali, school board president. “The employee was administratively reassigned off-campus yesterday morning as the district looks into this matter."