Editing West Hampton Dunes, New York (section)

==History==
West Hampton Dunes is located on a [[barrier island]] in the Town of Southampton.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southamptontownny.gov/content/760/762/766/3046/default.aspx|title=Suffolk County Tax Map Range|publisher=Town of Southampton|access-date=September 25, 2013|archive-date=January 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108075119/http://www.southamptontownny.gov/content/760/762/766/3046/default.aspx|url-status=dead|quote=Village of North Haven, Village of Quogue, Village of Southampton, Village of W. Hampton Beach, Village of Sag Harbor, Village of W. Hampton Dunes, Village of Sagaponack, Southampton Town}}</ref>  The barrier island was part of [[Fire Island]] until a [[nor'easter]] in 1931 split the island creating [[Moriches Inlet]]. The inlet created a geographic oddity whereby the [[Brookhaven, New York|Town of Brookhaven]] actually has jurisdiction on land immediately west of West Hampton Dunes although Brookhaven land access to it involves a nearly {{convert|20|mi|adj=on}} drive through the Town of Southampton.

The village incorporated in 1993 in attempt to have more control over its precarious state since it was obliterated in the [[Great Hurricane of 1938]], the [[1991 Halloween Nor'easter]] ("The Perfect Storm") and again in a 1992 nor'easter. Specifically, the village wanted to have a say in [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] handling of the barrier beach—particularly in response to a series of [[groyne]]s at [[Shinnecock Inlet]] that have created major [[coastal erosion|beach erosion]] "downstream" in the [[longshore drift]]. Almost immediately after incorporation, Gary Vegliante, the village's first and to date only mayor, sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for $200 million.  The Corps settled the suit and began replenishing the beach leading to a building boom on what had been a devastated empty section of beach.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.danshamptons.com/content/danspapers/issue12_2007/7.html|title=- Founding Westhampton Dunes - The Movie - Dan's Papers June 15, 2007}}</ref>

The [[American Shore and Beach Preservation Association]] named West Hampton Dunes one of America's top restored beaches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.asbpa.org/pdfs/WestHamptonDunesRelease.pdf|title=- American Shore and Beach Preservation Association: West Hampton Dunes named one of America's Top Restored Beaches - May 18th, 2007}}</ref> In 2007, resident Yale Nelson finished a documentary on the town history which premiered October 20, 2007, in Westhampton at the [[Hamptons Film Festival]].

In 1996, West Hampton Dunes was the closest community to the crash of [[TWA Flight 800]], which occurred in the ocean about {{convert|8|mi}} due south of it, although news reports focused on the much larger communities across Moriches Bay that provided the water response.

===Police===
In 1996, the village, under the authority of a court order, formed a law enforcement agency to better serve the needs of the community. The West Hampton Dunes Police Constabulary consists of approximately 12 members, including a department commissioner and two sergeants. The members are certified as peace officers with the [[New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services]] (DCJS) and are trained at either the Suffolk Police and/or Suffolk Sheriffs academy. The members of the department also receive the required DCJS courses for peace officers to perform traffic enforcement duties including Radar/LIDAR, Standard Field Sobriety, and Basic Crash Management.