To the Editor:

Simply put, our town needs a new police facility. On Tuesday night of this week, the Newtown Police Department had its awards ceremony recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of several of our officers. Most of these acts of bravery and compassion go unreported, but when you examine the facts of each commendation, they are quite impressive.

Our officers provide these services day in, day out, without the need to seek constant recognition, but rather out of a sense of duty to the citizens of Newtown. They deserve, as a partial acknowledgement of this daily work ethic, a current, proper police station. The present structure is old, decrepit, and potentially dangerous to the members of our police force and the public. A quick look at some of the photos on the NPD Facebook page reveal that transport of accused violent felons often requires allowing those potentially dangerous individuals access to the outside of the facility just to get them in a police vehicle for transport. A current, properly-secured structure would never expose these potentially violent criminals to members of our community when in custody.

I have had the honor and pleasure of serving on the Board of Police Commissioners for seven years. During my tenure, we have reviewed time and time again the many space-needs studies that have dictated the need for a new, regulation-compliant facility for decades. The building, when it was first converted from a tractor barn to a police headquarters, was inadequate for a small department. Now that our agency has grown and advanced along with the town, it is time to bring the facility into compliance with the needs of a 21st Century police department. The Newtown PD has a top-tier national accreditation, and we wouldn’t want to jeopardize that standing by forcing the NPD to continue to operate out of a dilapidated, inadequate building. Nationwide surveys have listed Newtown as one of the safest places to live in our great country. In order to maintain those high marks, our town and the Newtown Police Department officers need and deserve a proper police facility.

Please vote in favor of funding for a new police headquarters on November 6.

Joel T. Faxon

38 Old Farm Hill Road, Newtown         October 17, 2018