What Makes A Good

Police Officer?

To the Editor:

The public’s perception and relationship/contact with the Newtown Police Department will influence their opinion of the police department and their opinion on what makes a good police officer. As a member of the Police Commission this question is on our minds continually and especially during personnel recruitment, promotions, and the disciplinary processes. The hiring processes used in Newtown include, but are not limited to, complete/exhaustive background checks, intelligence and psychological testing, physical endurance, educational background, lie detector interview, and various interviews with police department personnel and the Police Commission. The Police Commission then makes the final decision based on the results of the aforementioned processes. In my opinion there are two aspects extremely important in what makes a good police officer, i.e., being a truly good person with strong common sense and the police department providing up-to-date equipment and training.

In my opinion, all team members of the Newtown Department of Police Services are truly good people with good common sense or they would not be part of the team. This leaves the issue of the police department providing up-to-date equipment and training. The training aspect is mandated by regulation and strictly adhered to with no exceptions. The police department team is a highly trained and professional group. The up-to-date equipment is influenced by the budget process that we are currently undertaking. This budget contains, among other very important items, funding for replacement of high-mileage police vehicles and the funds for additional personnel to organize a traffic enforcement division. The citizens of Newtown have made it very clear that they favor increased traffic enforcement. The police pepartment’s team, which includes management and union members, is currently doing its very best to meet this challenge. To keep up with increased traffic and enforcement requirements the police department needs this traffic enforcement division and other funds in this budget to maintain efficiencies.

In conclusion I urge all members of the Legislative Council, Board of Finance and all Newtown citizens to support this police department’s budget in its entirety. I would like to thank the Board of Selectmen for supporting this very important budget. All items in this budget contribute to what makes a good police officer and better serve the citizens of Newtown.

Richard Simon

Police Commissioner

Jeremiah Road, Sandy Hook                                   February 20, 2007