Union Appeals To City Council To Address New London Police Department Woes

Saying a “dysfunctional” relationship between officers and police and city administrators and low morale are eroding the ranks of the New London Police Department and jeopardizing public safety, the New London Police Union asked city councilors to address a number of concerns Tuesday.

Members of the union and former police officers spoke to the Public Safety Committee of the City Council, criticizing the environment within the department as well as a recent decision by Mayor Daryl Finizio that left the department’s K-9 program with a single dog.

“Our department, your department, is being destroyed,” said union president Todd Lynch.

Councilors said they appreciated the issues being brought to their attention and that they would look to ways to address them that fall under the Council’s authority in the City Charter. The committee also adopted a resolution supporting the K-9 program and advocating that two dogs be restored to it.

Staffing levels

David McElroy, vice president of the union, described the relationship between the union, Police Chief Margaret Ackley, and Mayor Daryl Finizio as “the most dysfunctional thing I’ve ever seen.” McElroy said the NLPD is on track to be at a staffing level of 42 to 45 officers, which he said will lead to extended shifts as well as reducing the department’s strength in areas such as vice and school resource officers in order to ensure patrol coverage.

“During the day, there will be times when there are more secretaries in police headquarters than officers on the street,” he said.

Eric Brown, the union’s attorney, said the NLPD is in “complete disarray” and that there is a lack of trust between the officers and Ackley and Finizio.

“It’s time for this city to stand up and show some leadership over the police department,” said Brown. “It does not have that leadership right now.”

Declaring that it is in “probably the worst shape that I’ve seen the entire New London Police Department in my 34 years of service,” Detective Frank Jarvis said low staffing levels will make it more difficult for the NLPD to respond to violent incidents and put officers at a greater risk.

“We’ll continue to run into the line of fire, because that’s what we’re trained to do,” said Jarvis. “But if we continue to lose the officers we’re losing, we can only do so much.”

Ken Edwards, a former NLPD officer, said he thinks the city administration has too much influence in police matters and that the police administration should have more autonomy in deciding appropriate measures in areas such as discipline and programs. He said the city also loses tens of thousands of dollars when it pays to train an officer only to see the officer leave for another department, leaving the city to pay more training costs for any new personnel.

“I’m sickened by the bleeding of money that happens whenever an officer leaves for a neighboring department,” he said. “That never happened before. We were the certified department that people wanted to come to.”

The police union has also been critical of the staffing levels at the NLPD, saying the number of officers in the department is not sufficient for a city of New London’s size and crime rate. It says a law enforcement analysis in 2006 recommended that the NLPD should have a force of 118 officers.

Lynch said 40 officers have left the department since Ackley became chief in June of 2009, including a dozen in the past month. Twenty-one joined other departments in the region. The departures also include 12 retirements, three terminations, two resignations, and two departures under other circumstances including Finizio’s decision to not reappoint Marshall Segar as deputy police chief.

Of the terminations, Officer Joshua Bergeson has since been reinstated after he was fired for attendance problems and other issues. The union is also contesting the termination of Officer Thomas Northup, who was fired after shooting a man who crashed a stolen truck.

The approved police budget for the 2014 fiscal year is about $900,000 less than the 2013 fiscal year funding level. Ackley has warned that this could lead to 15 layoffs, or five officers per shift. Finizio has promised that no layoffs will take place before the halfway point of the fiscal year to allow time to find additional revenues and savings to restore funding to the police budget.

K-9 issues

Officers also addressed the status of the NLPD’s K-9 program, which formerly had three dogs. According to the police union website, the city began boarding Bessie, a bloodhound used for tracking, after her handler Kyle Gorra transferred to the Connecticut State Police. The union said Bessie was boarded at a cost of $30 per day before Finizio announced on Thursday that Bessie would be donated to another law enforcement agency.

Finizio also announced that Buck—one of two dogs trained for patrol, search and rescue, and drug sniffing—would be retired. The union said the city decided to stop paying for Buck’s arthritis medication, a cost of $180 every three months, on July 1 in order to save money. The decision left Officer John Michaud to decide whether to retire Buck or continue to pay for his medical costs out of pocket.

A Sunday fundraiser toward Buck’s medication continued despite the announcement. Councilor Marie Friess-McSparran said the event brought in enough money to pay for Buck’s medication for a year.

Lynch said Buck has been cleared for an additional two years of service and accused the city administration of refusing to accept $6,000 in donations toward the K-9 program.

William Nott, a master K-9 trainer, described several cases in which K-9s were used to search for dangerous suspects, including a 2003 incident where a New London police dog was shot and wounded tracking down three men who staged an armed robbery of a Colman Street bar. Nott said eliminating K-9 units forces officers into similar potentially lethal situations.

“We don’t want our dogs to do die. We don’t want to kill our dogs,” said Nott. “But they’re there for a purpose, and it’s to save a human life.”

The union has alleged that the administration is trying to end the K-9 program in the NLPD. During budget discussions last year, Finizio said he did not consider the program a necessity and was looking into the possibility of eliminating it to save costs. He later said the program would be retained in the 2013 fiscal year.

Council response

Councilor Anthony Nolan, an officer with the NLPD, acknowledged that there are problems within the department. He said he was not sure what help the Council will be able to provide, but that the city should bring in outside help if necessary to rectify the issues.

“I hate to say it, sometimes I feel more protected in my community than I do at the station,” he said.

Councilor John Maynard, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said the Council should take whatever action necessary to address the police issues. However, he said he thought most of the issues stem from the department’s leadership.

“The only solution to this, in my eyes, is the resignation of Chief Ackley,” said Maynard.

Councilor Adam Sprecace said the Council’s relationship with the NLPD has been modified due to the transition to a strong mayor form of government, but that the Council would still be able to draft ordinances on issues such as setting a minimum staffing level at the department.

“I am intent upon finding a solution to all of these problems…but we have to do it within the procedures that are already in place,” said Sprecace.

Council President Pro Tempore Wade Hyslop agreed that the Council needs to have a role in finding solutions to the isssues, but said Finizio and Ackley should be included in the process as well.

“Certainly I will commit my support to helping the police department and working with anyone who wishes to help you,” he said.

Council President Michael Passero said there should be a full investigation into the police allegations and that he considered them to be urgent. Passero also drafted a resolution recognizing the role of the K-9 program and recommending that Buck and Bessie be restored to it.

“I think the resolution is just a start, so we send a message to the administration side of this government,” said Passero.

The committee unanimously passed the resolution.

Mayor does not attend

Finizio said on Tuesday afternoon that neither he nor anyone from the mayor’s administration or police administration—including Ackley, Chief Administrative Officer Jane Glover, and Deputy Police Chief Peter Reichard—would attend the committee meeting to avoid incurring liabilities. Finizio said the ground rules of contract negotiations, which are ongoing with the police department, require that city officials and the union will not comment publicly on any bargaining subject matter.

“I reiterate my position that crime is being reduced throughout the city, especially related to major crimes, and our patrol strength is adequate to meet our public safety needs at this time," Finizio said in a statement. “The current contract requirements for a K-9 program have been met and mutual aid can be utilized if a need arises. The city will fully honor the collective bargaining process and the ground rules agreed upon with the New London Police Union. We will not undermine the collective bargaining process and conduct city negotiations in a politicized public forum.”

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