Date: Fri 16-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

police-Fekete-resignation

Full Text:

News Of His Resignation Comes As Surprise To Police Captain

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

According to police officials, Police Captain Michael Fekete has retired from

town service, setting the stage for the reorganization of the police

department approved by the Police Commission last summer.

That's news to Captain Fekete. He said this week that he has not submitted his

resignation papers to the town and thus has not retired from the police

department.

At a January 6 Police Commission meeting, Police Chief James E. Lysaght, Jr,

reported that a June 1997 agreement reached between Mr Fekete and former first

selectman Robert Cascella has been reviewed and endorsed by the town's labor

lawyer, resulting in Mr Fekete's retirement having taken effect December 31.

Mr Fekete said Tuesday he has received a registered letter from the first

selectman notifying him of his retirement. Mr Fekete noted he will submit the

first selectman's letter to his attorney for legal review.

Carole Ross, assistant to the first selectman, said Mr Fekete's job status is

unclear. Whether or not Mr Fekete is "retired" is a matter now under

discussion between the town's labor lawyer and Mr Fekete's attorney, Ms Ross

said.

Town officials did not provide copies of the agreement between Mr Cascella and

Mr Fekete or the letter from First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal to Mr Fekete.

"That's basically a personnel matter. I really don't have any comments... I

can't get into it," Mr Rosenthal said Wednesday.

"We're constrained from discussing personnel issues publicly," he added.

"There's some technical issues involved, and it's no reflection on Captain

Fekete's service to the town," the first selectman said, adding that Mr Fekete

provided many years of distinguished service to the town.

Captain Fekete has been on an extended leave of absence from the police

department for the past six months.

While Mr Fekete is off duty, Owen Carney, a lieutenant, is serving as acting

captain.

After Captain Fekete went on extended leave, the Police Commission and Chief

Lysaght reviewed how the department could be reorganized. The commission

approved a reorganization plan last August. The reorganization was based on

the assumption that Captain Fekete would be retiring after a long career at

the police department.

Reorganization

Mr Carney will remain as acting captain while the police chief develops a list

of the qualifications, requirements and job duties for the captaincy. A test

for the post will be formulated. A consultant may be hired for help in

developing a captain's test, Chief Lysaght said. It is unclear who will be

able to take the test because the qualifications required to take it have not

yet been defined, the chief noted.

The reorganization gives the captain authority over operations of the patrol

division, the detective division, the auxiliary officer unit and the animal

control unit.

The sole lieutenant now handles administrative duties. There formerly were two

lieutenants.

The reorganization transferred supervision of routine detective division work

from a lieutenant to a sergeant.

Lieutenant

The town and the police union are discussing creating a mechanism by which

officers will be promoted to the rank of lieutenant, Chief Lysaght said.

Although no lieutenant's vacancy exists, when a vacancy eventually occurs, a

new lieutenant will be chosen from an "eligibility list" which will be based

on the lieutenancy test results, the chief said. Also, candidates for the post

would be interviewed by the Police Commission.

Although eligibility lists for the post of sergeant have existed for years,

there has been no formal means by which lieutenants and captains are chosen.

Lieutenants are represented under the terms of the collective bargaining

agreement between the police union and the town. Captains have separate job

contracts with the town and are not represented by the union.

By June 30, a person will be chosen for the permanent post of captain and a

lieutenant's eligibility list will be created, Chief Lysaght said.

After those tasks are accomplished, a person will be chosen to fill a

sergeant's vacancy. James Mooney has been serving as acting sergeant for the

past several months. That sergeant's vacancy was created when Sergeant Henry

Stormer was transferred to be supervisor of the detective division.

Both Mr Mooney, and George Sinko, who currently serves as the youth officer,

are on the current sergeant's eligibility list.

After officers are placed on the sergeant's eligibility list, which is based

on their sergeant test scores, they are interviewed by the Police Commission

before a promotion is made.

Chief Lysaght said the department's reorganization has been designed to

streamline operations. The authority, responsibility, and rank of an officer

should be based upon the complexity of his role, the chief said. In the new

organization, the person holding the rank of captain is in charge of the

largest number of people, except for the chief, the chief said.

The whole idea behind the reorganization is to improve the lines of

communication between the detective division and the patrol division, he said.