The Board of Police Commissioners was briefed on a notable recent arrest in town, heard an update on de-escalation training and equipment for local police officers, and received confirmation on a driving law, among other points, during its April 6 meeting.

This month’s meeting was conducted at the police department, with some members of the commission attending in person and others via remote options. Streaming and call-in participation options were offered. There was no public participation recorded.

In presenting his report, Chief James Viadero opened by highlighting a “notable arrest” by a pair of Newtown officers the previous week.

School Resource Officers William Chapman and Richard Monckton recently traveled to Sandusky, Ohio, where on March 30 they took into custody a 34-year-old male who has since been charged with risk of injury to a child, a Class C felony, and enticing a minor by computer, a Class B felony, following alleged activity last year with an underage Newtown female.

Viadero this week commended Chapman and Monckton for “a phenomenal job. It was a pretty intensive investigation, a lot of search warrants and ex-parte warrants to get IP addresses and then pursue it. The way it was reported, and how it came in, it took a lot of work to make an arrest.”

Gregory J. Voltz, the man arrested last week, was the among the first to be processed through the department’s new booking facilities, Viadero noted later in the meeting. He commended the panel — which included Lieutenant David Kullgren, Sergeant Jeff Silver, Officer Adam James, and Officer Steven Siecienski, “and a number of individuals,” according to the chief — who looked at policies in place and the layout at the previous PD location.

That panel was tasked with creating a better flow in the new booking location, and updated a few policies for the recently-opened new facility.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the work that they did,” he said.

The police chief on Tuesday also commended Chapman for his participation in a virtual Suicide Awareness Forum hosted on March 29 by The Newtown Bee.

“Will Chapman and Rick Monckton are very well respected in the school system,” the chief said, “particularly Will, as a mentor to a lot of school-age children. He did a real good job, a phenomenal job representing the police department, as he always does.”

In recent weeks, the chief reported, the department has continued looking at new technology and tools for less-than-lethal de-escalation options for its officers. Last week the department was visited by representatives from Compliant Technologies, who demonstrated a glove that is low-grade electrified. It has much less voltage than a taser, he said.

Viadero and Captain Christopher Vanghele were both on the receiving end of a shock from the gloves during the Compliant Technologies visit.

“It’s persuasive,” he said. “It’s not as debilitating as a taser, but it’s lower on the continuum. It’s more or less if you have somebody in a car, not compliant, you’d have to use force to get them out of the car. That can turn into grabbing them, you’re stressing them.”

With the gloves, he said, “you put your hand on them, they get a shock. It’s an attention getter. You get the individual under control, and you put them into custody.”

On April 5, the department had a visit from a company that produces BolaWraps, a device deploys a thin laser-guided rope that wraps around a person’s arms or legs. That visit included members of other departments, according to Viadero.

“Again, it’s something less lethal, for when you know you’re going to have to arrest someone, and want to avoid a confrontation,” Viadero explained to the commissioners.

“We’re looking at a lot of emerging technology that’s out there to help keep us on the forefront,” he said. The work being done now, he added, will keep the department better prepared for new state de-escalation laws scheduled to go into effect in January 2022.

The department’s training instructors were very impressed with both demonstrations, he said.

Viadero expects the department will get one set of gloves and one set of the BolaWraps, “to try them and demo them.”

Before the department commits to purchasing either item, both will be demonstrated before the police commission, Viadero also stated. If approved, both new tools will be kept within a supervisor’s vehicle, or used with a supervisor’s approval, he added.

New Building, COVID Updates

The department’s new building is now fully operational, Viadero reported. The emergency communications center moved from 3 Main Street into 191 South Main a few weeks ago. Between that and the recently opened booking facility, “everything is fully operational.”

He also noted that about 90% of the department’s sworn and civilian staff has been vaccinated against COVID-19. Captain Vanghele and Lieutenant Richard Robinson continue to monitor quarantine guidelines, he noted.

The department is looking to conduct a detective test in early June, he said. There is currently one position open, following last June’s retirement by Joseph Joudy. Another is expected in August, when another detective is planning to retire, he said.

Four individuals have responded to a solicitation of interest the department recently issued, he reported. Those four are being rotated through a provisional basis, “giving them X amount of days in that position, to get acclimated, to see if they like it, and give them a little bit of experience.”

The early response does not preclude anyone who did not put in for the position from taking the test, Viadero said.

The chief continues to attend Connecticut Police Office Standards and Training Council (POSTC) meetings, he said. Members of that group, including a number of chiefs, have been crafting a lesson plan concerning use of force and de-escalation ahead of the January 2022 mandates, he said.

“All officers will have to be trained in that,” he said. Recruits will be trained during their academy training, he added.

Referencing the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, charged in the death of George Floyd, Viadero said anyone who has been watching that event unfold will see how crucial a complete, consistent use-of-force lesson plan is.

The POSTC lesson plan is 30 to 40 percent done, he said. The council hopes to have it finished by the beginning of summer, and then commence training as soon as possible after that.

Hugo Rojas has been hired as the department’s newest officer, following a special April 1 meeting of the commission that was held in executive session. Rojas was scheduled to be sworn in on April 8, after this week’s print edition went to press.

The application for another candidate who has been voted on is still in the vetting process, Viadero said.

Traffic Issues And Concerns

Viadero also discussed recent traffic concerns, including thousands of unexpected vehicles that passed through town on March 30 after an accident on I-84 completely closed the Rochambeau Bridge for eight hours.

“That gridlocked Newtown and a lot of other communities,” he said.

Speed enforcement continues on Toddy Hill Road and Taunton Hill Road, he said, including the use of temporary speeding trailers. Sergeant Jeff Silver has put in an application to clear both roads of oversize trucks, Viadero said.

Both roads see increased use as cut-throughs, he said, after accidents; Taunton Hill has seen an increasing number of commercial vehicles, he added.

“There is no need for a commercial vehicle to be on that road unless it has business there,” Viadero said. “But we know that a lot of them are using them as a cut-through, especially if they have to get off the highway.”

Increased distracted driving and speeding enforcement is also planned, the chief said.

The police department will have a new Drug Takeback Box installed soon, he said. It has not had one since the box was removed from its previous location at 3 Main Street, but local pharmacies are not yet hosting them as had been expected.

“It’s a service, and it’s a worthwhile service,” he said. “We were getting inundated, though, because other towns did not have them. It’s costly and it takes manpower to monitor the box and to empty the box and dispose of its contents.”

The department is planning to participate in a DEA Drug Takeback Day on Saturday, April 24, he said.

Commissioners’ Participation

Commissioner Neil Chaudhary opened discussion on three topics Tuesday night.

First, a resident had contacted him recently following a crash at the Main Street flagpole. The resident was originally told he was at fault after his vehicle, which had been traveling north on Main Street and turned left toward West Street, was struck by a southbound vehicle that passed a noncontact vehicle on the right. The southbound vehicle used the shoulder to pass the noncontact vehicle.

“Real simple response: No. You are not supposed to pass on the right,” Viadero said. “It’s not a passing zone.”

The report from the collision in question was later rectified, the chief said. The person who passed on the right was given a verbal warning.

In response to Chaudhary asking about additional signage for the problematic intersection, the police chief pointed out that “there’s no real place to put it.”

The chief feels improvements need to be made, he said, but traffic studies have not provided clear answers, nor is there funding available. The next step, he thinks, may be to get local legislators involved.

Chaudhary then asked how many drug recognition experts, or DREs, the department has. He did so, he said, now that New York has legalized recreational marijuana.

“When Colorado first legalized recreational marijuana, there was a lot of crashes in its border states, presumably as a function of people buying, using, and then traveling back home,” he said. “There’s a good chance Connecticut will have that law soon, so it’s something we’ll have to be dealing with not just as a border state.”

Newtown currently has two DRE officers. Viadero believes the department will need more when or if a Connecticut law is passed, he said.

“That’s a bridge we’re going to have to cross, looking at getting additional funding” for training, he said. “Maybe legislators can help us with that. If they’re going to pass this bill, hopefully they’ll give us a portion of that bill to fund training of drug recognition experts.”

An additional challenge, he noted, is that while the department has two DREs, its K-9s are trained for narcotics detection.

“They don’t differentiate between marijuana and controlled substances such as heroin or Oxy or cocaine,” he said. “That’s going to present another issue for us.”

The final thing Chaudhary brought up for discussion was the lack of striping on local roads.

“A temporary line was put down a year ago, but has since faded, on Mile Hill South,” he said. Boggs Hill and Hattertown roads also both have sections of unlined roadway. “What’s the reasoning behind that?” he asked.

“I think a lot has to do with the budget and timing,” Viadero responded. He has discussed the concerns, he said, with Public Works Director Fred Hurley. He has also been in contact with the one vendor in the state that does road lining, who said that such work is also dictated by weather.

Fog lines and stop bars also need to be put down in many locations, Viadero noted.

Commission Chair Joel Faxon said he would like to see a schedule of roads that will be painted. He thought the commission had already voted on that subject, he added.

The police chief said he will ask Hurley to speak with the commission during its next meeting.

With no public participation during the second time the floor was opened for it, the meeting adjourned around 7:20 pm.