Residents Level Criticisms

At Police Commission Over Lysaght Firing

By Andrew Gorosko

Several residents attending an April 4 Police Commission meeting criticized commission members on their recent firing of former police chief James E. Lysaght, Jr.

 Police Commission members fired Mr Lysaght March 3 after deciding he did not demonstrate the leadership, management, and planning skills necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the police department. Mr Lysaght has filed a lawsuit in Danbury Superior Court in seeking to regain the police chief’s post.

Resident Wendy Beres of Turkey Hill Road told commission members, “You denied people the right to express their opinion [March 3] regarding the chief… We have intelligent citizens that have expertise in areas that could address certain items on your ‘hit list’ of allegations” against Mr Lysaght, Ms Beres said, in reading from a prepared statement.

“I feel that you have handled the hiring and firing of Chief Lysaght badly… The charges that you have lodged against him do not rise to the level of him being fired. It seems he made some minor mistakes, as this commission has. If he is to be fired for his errors, then this commission should be ‘fired’ as well for their micro-management of the police station,” she said.

“The commission obviously does not have the expertise to hire or fire, and certainly I don’t feel comfortable with just any town volunteer telling any chief of police in this town how they should or should not run the police department,” Ms Beres added.

“This commission has gotten a very bad attitude. The attitude is basically ‘How dare you peon residents question me?’ It’s time to reassess your commission,” Ms Beres said.

Resident Michael LaPerch of Horseshoe Ridge Road asked why Police Commission members did not allow public participation at the March 3 session at which Mr Lysaght was fired.

Police Commission Chairman James Reilly responded by saying the meeting was open to public attendance, but not to public participation. The meeting was conducted to acknowledge the commission’s receipt of an arbitrator’s report on Mr Lysaght’s December termination hearing, and to vote on whether to terminate Mr Lysaght, based on the results of that report, Mr Reilly said.

The arbitrator’s report stated there was a lack of communication between Mr Lysaght and the commission, Mr LaPerch said, asking why that topic was not addressed at the March 3 session. The arbitrator recommended that the commission and Mr Lysaght should resolve their differences, Mr LaPerch added.

Mr Reilly responded that if the commission had allowed public comment, it would have violated the terms of an agreement between the commission and Mr Lysaght concerning how the commission would handle the arbitrator’s report.

Resident Wayne Bombaci of Scudder Road likened the March 3 session to “an execution you can watch.” Mr Bombaci asked whether the town had made a good faith effort to settle its dispute with Mr Lysaght.

The town made such an effort before the termination hearing, Mr Reilly responded. He declined to disclose details of the town’s offer to Mr Lysaght to settle the matter.

Resident Bob Beres of Turkey Hill Road questioned Police Commission members about their thoroughness when they hired Mr Lysaght as police chief in 1996.

“When you guys hired the chief, did you check his references?” he asked.

Mr Reilly responded that his references had been checked.

Mr Beres asked why Mr Lysaght was chosen to be chief from a field of more than 110 applicants.

 Mr Reilly said April 5, “Before people make a judgment on whether the [commission] acted properly or not, they should read the three [Lysaght job performance] evaluations and the entire arbitrator’s report.”

Many people who have criticized the Police Commission’s actions have not read those documents, he said.

“All that information is out there,” he said. “I would think they would take the time to read the documents,” he added.