Governor Ned Lamont’s announcement last week that he was appointing 11 members to serve on the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC) included the reappointment of Newtown’s top police officer.

Police Chief James Viadero has been on POSTC since 2018. He was appointed by then-Governor Dannel Malloy.

Viadero has served as Newtown’s chief of police since 2016. He was a police officer in Bridgeport from 1985 to 2014, and then the police chief of Middlebury from 2014 to 2015.

POSTC is a division of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). The council oversees training and certification of police officers, as well as a mandatory police department accreditation program.

Last summer, Lamont signed into law July Special Session Public Act 20-1, which refreshed the membership of the council effective January 1, 2021.

The appointments announced on January 14 bring the experience and perspectives of a diverse group of police chiefs, municipal officials, and dedicated community members to bear on the challenges of improving public safety and police accountability in Connecticut.

Saying he was “honored and humbled” to be selected for inclusion once again on POSTC, Chief Viadero this week also said he feels fortunate to have experiences in large and small urban agencies.

Those past experiences, he said, have afforded him “the opportunity to have varied perspectives on law enforcement operations.

“Additionally, my experiences as an adjunct instructor at numerous police academies and Sacred Heart University provided me with insight on training and educational elements pertaining to law enforcement,” he added.

In previous years, Viadero said, he had “the opportunity to work on several significant policy and program revisions dealing with police pursuits, officer wellness, mental health check-ups.”

Most recently he sat on a committee that authored a use of force policy that will go into effect April 1.

“It was a great honor to be selected again to serve on the council by Governor Lamont,” he said January 20. “With the adaptation of the recent police accountability bill, the council was reconfigured and new appointments were made. I appreciate the confidence placed in me to be part of the new council, particularly in light of the influences the council holds over changes in law enforcement practices.”

In a press release, Gov Lamont last week noted that POSTC performs the critical task of holding all police officers and departments in Connecticut to the highest standards of public service.

“I am grateful to the outgoing council members for their years of important service to the state, and grateful to those who have volunteered to serve today,” the governor also stated. “I am confident they will continue the important and complementary work of equipping officers for success, ensuring individual and community safety, and ending systemic discrimination in our criminal justice system.”

DESPP Commissioner James Rovella said the changing landscape of law enforcement presents “many new directions and challenges for the POST Council.

“This refreshed group of appointees represents many new respected experts, leaders, and broad perspectives,” he further noted. “We look forward to cooperatively addressing the many law enforcement issues that will ultimately make our state a safer place for all.”

In addition to Viadero, Lamont’s appointments include:

*Keith Mello of Hamden, who has served as the police chief in Milford since 2004, as a member of POSTC since 2013, and as its chair since 2017;

*North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda, who has been the as the chief elected official for that town since 2009 and has served on the council since 2013;

*Douglas Glanville of Bloomfield, a baseball analyst for ESPN who has served on the council since 2016;

*Mike Lawlor of New Haven, an associate professor in the criminal justice department at the University of New Haven’s Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences;

*Patricia Rehmer of New Britain, the president of Hartford HealthCare’s Behavioral Health Network;

*West Hartford Police Chief Vernon Riddick of Waterbury, who has served as that city’s chief since 2018 and has been on POSTC since 2018;

*Meriden Police Chief Roberto Rosado of Windham;

*Jonathan Slifka of West Hartford, who has worked in the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services since 2019 and chairs the Subcommittee on Improving Interactions with the Disability Community for the Police Accountability and Transparency Task Force;

*Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo of Watertown, who has served as an officer in Waterbury since 1992; and

*Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu of Bristol, who has served as that city’s chief elected official since 2017.

In addition to the appointments made by the governor, other members of the council include appointees of legislative leaders, as well as several ex-officio members, including Commissioner Rovella; Commanding Officer of the Connecticut State Police Academy; Lieutenant Mark Davison; Chief State’s Attorney Rich Colangelo; and FBI Special Agent in Charge David Sundberg.