Armed cops hit Hamptons

POLICE officers with machine guns have started appearing at fancy Hamptons events amid fears of terrorist attacks. Guests at the tony Watermill Center gala on Saturday night attended by Robert Downey Jr. and French actress Isabelle Huppert initially thought the two officers standing clad in black bulletproof vests were part of the annual art installations organized by the center’s famed director, Robert Wilson. But the officers explained to a guest that Steven Skrynecki, Southampton Town police chief, has introduced a new counterterrorism unit that will see the presence of officers with body armor and powerful firearms at swanky public events. The officer was overheard explaining that police chiefs believe the events could be “soft targets” and that potential attackers could see a “big media opportunity” with all the prominent people present. The Watermill Center gala attracted 1,200 people to the art performances, and 500 stayed for dinner, where awards were given to Huppert and Laurie Anderson, who performed a concert in honor of her late husband Lou Reed. Other guests included Inga Otto and Lisa Anastos, cosmetic mogul Peter Thomas Roth, Libbie Mugrabi, Nancy Chemtob, Éric Ripert, Jean Shafiroff, Alex Soros and Campion and Tatiana Platt, who donated $5,000 to take a selfie with Downey. Over at the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs & Champagne gala, also on Saturday night in Sagaponack, where 40 top chefs cooked for 800 people and Marcus Samuelsson was honored, there were also a pair of machine-gunbearing policeman protecting the huge tent filled with revelers.