May 14, 2007 -- Meet Long Island's million-dollar cop, a
Southampton village
detective
who reeled in a whopping $1.3 million annual salary through
side jobs for tony clientele.
Officer Herman Lamison already rakes in well over $100,000
yearly for his police work. But he's earned hundreds of
thousands more performing secondary jobs for local cash-flush
residents - tending to their estates, providing security and
generally offering them peace of mind, records show.
And Lamison is not alone.
As NYPD cops groan about their appalling $25,000-a-year
starting salary, Lamison and his colleagues, especially those
employed by small East End departments, are living like the
glamorous residents they've sworn to protect and serve.
Lamison, a Southampton native on the force since 1986, uses
his stunning income to fund a plush mansion with a three-car
garage in the prestigious Parrish Pond subdivision and several
other properties, according to records.
He declined to comment.
Other current or former East End cops are churning out big
bucks through such businesses as Kona Security, Fortress
Security and Pondview Services.
They are setting up shop for a reason. Many mansion owners
want to hire local cops to check in on their estates during
the off season to guard against theft, burst pipes and
squatters.
Meanwhile, socialites hire them to provide security for
their sprawling summer galas, club owners hire the cops to
calm angry neighbors, and celebrities like Jack Nicholson and
Martha Stewart employ them as drivers and bodyguards.
The officers' local connections, combined with the
credibility of their badges, attracts the attention of wealthy
side employers who only touch down during the summer season.
The owner of one Southampton nightclub said he preferred
using local cops for security because they knew the local
political and cultural terrain.
"You'd rather have a local guy with a badge talking to a
pissed-off neighbor than a guy from Jersey here for a quick
paycheck," he said. "It makes sense, businesswise. The clubs
are sort of under attack right now, so you want as many local
friends as possible."
Lamison, it appears, has been very friendly. But while his
successful side business, Prime Time Security, has made him
rich, it has also brought an uncomfortable spotlight.
He recently had to pay New York state a $37,000 fine
because of licensing lapses.
The trouble came to light after Lamison landed the mother
of all home-security gigs years ago, when the controversial
industrialist Ira Rennert hired his company to perform 24-hour
security at his gargantuan, 64-acre, Sagaponack spread.
Lamison's crew was noted for throwing filmmaker Michael
Moore off the property during an attempted filming in 1998.
A New York state investigation into Prime Time Security
revealed the extent of Lamison's earnings. They canvassed him
through last year and provided income reports through 2005,
when he made a reputed $1,331,284. Lamison, who was fined for
operating without a proper license, had several other
Southampton Village cops on his payroll at the time.
Southampton Village Police Chief William Wilson, who
himself headed New York Security Group before giving the
business up to focus on his new post, said only a few of his
30 officers work second jobs.
He added that his cops are prohibited from working security
for any business that has a liquor license, even while off
duty.
But several Southampton Village and Southampton Town cops
said they had worked freelance gigs at summer hot spots like
Pink Elephant and Jet East.
East Hampton Village Police Chief Gerry Larsen would not
comment on any secondary work performed by his staff.
