Commission Lauds Police Chief’s Performance;

Sets Goals And Objectives

By Andrew Gorosko

The Police Commission has rated Police Chief Michael Kehoe’s job performance during the past year as “exceptional,” lauding his abilities as a manager, as well as setting some goals and objectives for him during the coming year.

Police Commission members unanimously endorsed the chief’s job performance evaluation at a July 10 session.

Chief Kehoe has headed the police department since July 1999, when the commission put him in charge of the organization after placing former Police Chief James Lysaght on paid administrative leave due to the commission’s strong concerns over Mr Lysaght’s deficient job performance. The commission later fired Mr Lysaght, who challenged that firing in a court appeal, but lost the appeal. The commission named Mr Kehoe the permanent police chief in May 2001.

In the evaluation for the period from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007, commission members list Chief Kehoe’s performance as “exceptional,” stating the police department’s accomplishments during that period.

Chief Kehoe managed the 2006–07 police budget in a “careful and dependable manner” keeping the commission aware of budget developments through the fiscal year, according to the panel. Several police officers made unexpected departures from the organization, causing unanticipated staff shortages, but the police chief thoroughly managed the budget, delivering public service to the community, the commission found. Chief Kehoe has a masters degree in business administration.

In the area of traffic control, the commission lauded the chief for starting work to form a traffic enforcement unit, as well as entering a joint traffic enforcement program with the towns of Bethel and Redding in the form of a tri-town traffic squad. Also, the chief created a motorcycle patrol program, which will augment traffic enforcement and engender police department recognition, according to the Police Commission.

The commission supports the chief’s efforts in the ongoing departmental accreditation process, which has been underway for several years.

Of Chief Kehoe’s managerial skills, the commission noted that in the face of an unexpected manpower shortage, the chief created a new hiring strategy under which Newtown joined with Brookfield in recruiting new personnel. The new hiring strategy cut costs and increased the pool of available job candidates, according to the panel.

Also, the commission endorsed the chief’s continuing efforts to implement the “community policing” model of local law enforcement.

Additionally, the panel commended the chief for pursuing all available grant money to aid the department in achieving its operational goals.

Goals/Objectives

 The Police Commission sets a series of goals and objectives for the police chief for the coming year.

 The chief should continue to improve police department operations as it approaches its goals of achieving Tier 2 and Tier 3 departmental accreditation. The department should strive to secure its Tier 2 accreditation by June 30, 2008, according to he commission. The department now has Tier 1 accreditation.

Also, the chief should continue work on forming a departmental traffic enforcement unit. Such work will involve providing the necessary personnel with required equipment and developing certain police policies focusing on traffic enforcement.

The police chief also should keep the Police Commission fully informed about police operations, including the department’s proficiency and its operating budget.

Chief Kehoe, 52, has a current annual salary of $91,306. He started work as a police patrol officer in 1978, after which he became the youth officer, the school resource officer, a patrol sergeant, and then a captain, before becoming the acting chief, and then the chief.