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POLICE SERVICES OPTIONS COMMITTEE
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
February 28, 2018, 6:00 PM
Meeting Hall
Old Lyme Town Hall
Present: First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder; Angelo Faenza; Beth Sullivan; Fred Callahan; Matthew Reed; Matthew Ward; Michael Miller; Harvey Gemme
Absent: Keith Coakley
- Introductions: Committee members introduced themselves, sharing their interest in the subject matter and committee.
- Review of Charge of Committee: Bonnie distributed the charge of the committee which was approved by the Board of Selectmen. There was discussion on some details of the charge, and questions were answered.
- Review of FOI rules and Code of Ethics for Committees/Guidelines for Boards/Commissions: Bonnie distributed the “Guide for Boards/Commissions/Committees”, and discussed the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.
- History of Old Lyme Police Dept./Resident Trooper program: Bonnie explained that the Town of Old Lyme has a Resident Trooper Program, currently contracting for one full time Trooper who oversees the Operations of the Old Lyme Police Dept. The Resident Trooper’s regular work schedule is Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 3:30 PM for week one, and Monday through Thursday from 7 AM to 3:30 PM on week two, then back to the week one schedule. In addition, the Town of Old Lyme employs six full time police officers (constables) and one part time police officer, though more part time officers are preferable (3 or 4 would be perfect). Full time officers work a 5-3 schedule (5 working days, and three days off duty). This schedule has caused some scheduling difficulties in the past, and the
officers have submitted a schedule that addresses some of those challenges. The First Selectman of the Town acts as Chief of Police for disciplinary matters.
- Summary of Discussions with East Lyme: The discussion about sharing Police services first started in April of 2017, when Bonnie heard that East Lyme had approved an Independent Police Department and hired a new Police Chief. There was some discussions about the Resident Trooper model, and the challenges to dealing with the changes at the Commander level at Troop F. Bonnie shared that at one point a discussion was made to hire a consultant to help in the decision making of this issue, and she has made contact with the CT Police Chiefs Association, who expressed a willingness to help the Town of Old Lyme in this study. Matt Ward, who is a State Trooper, shared that he was given the green light to request any information from the State Police that might be helpful to this Committee. Angelo
Faenza shared an article about regional sharing in CT, which was published on the CT Post. Bonnie also distributed the proposed budget for FY 2019, and reviewed the details with the Committee.
- Schedule future meetings: There was a discussion about the frequency of meetings, expectation as to when the decision should be finalized, and the days and times of the meetings. It was agreed that a decision by late summer or early fall would be good timing. There was a question about how a combined police department would be approved, and Bonnie said that the attorney would guide us on the approval requirements. A suggestion was made by Mike Miller that we should list all the possible options and make a plan to review them, and the committee agreed with the suggestion. A motion was made by Beth Sullivan, second by Matthew Reed, to schedule meetings every other week, beginning Tuesday, Mar. 6th at 6:00 PM. So voted. A suggestion was made to reach out to the patrolmen
for their opinion on some of the decisions are made. Committee members agreed with this suggestion.
- Public Comment: Jay Rankin, OL Police Officer, commented that at least one of the six police officers would be present at all of the meetings.
- Adjournment: A motion was made by Beth Sullivan, second by Matthew Reed, to adjourn at 7:31 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Bonnie Reemsnyder
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