Police Officer At The Wheel-Errant SUV Damages Police Station
Police Officer At The Wheelâ
Errant SUV Damages Police Station
By Andrew Gorosko
A bright blue tarp is affixed to the police stationâs facade, covering up a damaged section of the building where a sport-utility vehicle being driven by a police officer collided with the structure in a nighttime accident about three months ago.
It was about 12:10 am on Saturday, November 6, when Officer Sean Buckley, 26, who had just finished a work shift, was driving a privately-owned 1997 Ford Explorer in the parking lot in front of the police station.
Officer Buckley drove the SUV forward into a perpendicular parking space, about 20 feet south of the stationâs main entrance.
But Officer Buckley was unable to stop the vehicle in time and the Ford drove over a tall curb, striking the buildingâs exterior and startling the people inside. The curb is located about five feet from the building. The impact occurred near the sergeantsâ office and the executive assistantâs office. The building is not protected by bollards.
The crash caused roughly $5,000 worth of damage to the police station. The Ford also was damaged.
The Ford pushed the buildingâs exterior inward, damaging sheetrock in the interior, according to a police report on the accident issued this week. There were no injuries in the accident, police said. No enforcement action was taken, police added.
Police did not post an accident report immediately following the incident.
After the accident, however, police did post a public safety advertising banner over the section of the building façade that had been damaged by the impact of the crash.
That banner urged motorist safety.
Coincidentally, the banner was posted in the area where police in the past have posted such advertising banners to promote the proper use of child safety seats, and where police also have conducted child safety seat inspections.
Much later, that advertising banner was removed and a plain blue tarp was affixed to the buildingâs exterior in its place. But that new tarp only partially covered a sheet of plywood which had been screwed onto the side of the building to cover the damaged area after the accident. The police station interior has a similar sheet of plywood affixed in the area where the vehicle impact occurred, prompting press inquiries about the damage.
A police supervisor said that Officer Buckley would have no comment on the accident.
Ben Spragg, the townâs financial director, said this week the town has received a check for $4,783 from Officer Buckleyâs insurer to cover repair costs to the damaged police station. That money has not yet been spent.
Fred Hurley, the townâs public works director, said the Fordâs impact into the police station did not cause any structural damage to the building. The vehicle did not strike any of the steel posts that support the roof of the police station, he said. The damage is essentially cosmetic, he added.
The repair work will be performed by JP Maguire Associates, Inc, of Waterbury, a firm that specializes in property reconstruction, Mr Hurley said.
Repairs will include installing new vertical siding and new sheetrock, plus some electrical repairs, he said. Mr Hurley said he will supervise the repairs, which he expects to occur within the next few weeks.
âI was pretty angry when I heard about it,â said First Selectman Herb Rosenthal this week.
The first selectman added he hopes that the insurance payment covers all costs for the repairs. âWeâll get the building fixed,â he said.
Mr Rosenthal said police officials assured him that appropriate discipline, if necessary, would be given to Mr Buckley.
After it was formally requested, Police Chief Michael Kehoe provided a police report about the November 6 accident on January 31.
âItâs an accident,â Chief Kehoe said.
â[Buckley] had a run of bad luck,â the chief added.
At its December 7 meeting, the Police Commission conducted a closed executive session, at which commission members discussed the accident.
Following that closed session, commission members decided to extend Officer Buckleyâs probationary period by an additional six months.
Each officer who is hired by the Police Commission is placed on a one-year probationary period, during which time it is legally simple for the commission to terminate an employee. Officer Buckley was hired in mid-December 2003, and if his probation had not been extended, the probation would have expired one year later, in mid-December 2004.
Officer Buckleyâs probation will now run until June.
Chief Kehoe said Officer Buckleyâs extended probation stems from the motor vehicle accident, plus other factors.