Lake Zoar Marine Patrol To Resume Carrying Handguns

By Andrew Gorosko

After lengthy wrangling, the Lake Zoar Authority on July 14 voted to allow marine patrol officers to resume carrying side arms on the lake starting on July 17.

For the past two weekends, marine patrol members have not been armed while patrolling the 11-mile-long impoundment on the Housatonic River, which borders Newtown, Southbury, Monroe, and Oxford. Each of the four towns has members on the lake authority.

An anonymous letter, which had been sent to the first selectmen of those four towns in March, had questioned the marine patrol’s use of the term “police department,” its use of a police logo, and its use of the term “police chief” in describing the marine patrol’s leader Joseph Steinfeld.

That letter prompted concerns by Southbury First Selectman Mark Cooper and Oxford First Selectman August Palmer about the operation of the marine patrol and about its members’ carrying handguns while on duty. Consequently, the lake authority had the marine patrol work on the lake unarmed for the past two weekends.

Authority members met with the first selectmen of the four towns on July 14 to discuss the issue.

Lake authority Chairman Howard Saad of Monroe said the members of the marine patrol are trained police officers who normally work as policemen in various municipalities when not patrolling the lake. The marine patrol officers are certified to carry handguns, he said.

Mr Steinfeld stressed that marine patrol officers are thoroughly trained police officers who are certified to carry handguns.

Newtown First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal told authority members that Newtown has never had any problems with the operation of the lake marine patrol.

“I don’t believe that the [marine patrol] issues that have been raised are serious issues.…I don’t see this as a major problem for the four towns,” he said.

Mr Cooper said the marine patrol is a valuable service, but questioned the practice of its officers to carry handguns while on duty.

Monroe First Selectman Andrew Nunn similarly said the marine patrol is valuable, but questioned the patrol’s efforts to become an independent police agency.

Mr Palmer said Oxford officials do not want the marine patrol officers to carry handguns. Mr Palmer added that the word “police” should be removed from the marine patrol’s boats. The lake authority was never been given the power to create its own police force, Mr Palmer said.

Mr Rosenthal said, “There are [state] statutes that allow these people to carry guns as long as they are certified police officers.”

Monroe Police Chief John Salvatore said there is no justification for creating a “police department” to patrol Lake Zoar. The respective police departments in the lake authority’s four member towns have police powers in those areas, he said.

The marine patrol has operated carefully and cautiously during its patrol work, Mr Saad said. The unit patrols the lake for 12 weekends during the summer months, when there is much boating.

“We have a trained [patrol] crew out there. They won’t work without their guns. They feel they’re out of uniform,” Mr Saad said.

Mr Palmer again stressed that the marine patrol should patrol the lake unarmed.

Mr Saad later brought the handgun issue to a vote of the lake authority, with its membership strongly endorsing armed lake patrols. Additionally, the lake authority members and the selectmen of the four towns will be reviewing proposed marine patrol policies and procedures.

On July 15, Mr Cooper said the lake authority must follow proper procedures and practices in administering the work of the marine patrol.

In the past, Southbury officials had understood that the marine patrol would be an unarmed unit, he said. Mr Cooper said he will be discussing the armament issue with the Southbury selectmen.

Mr Cooper said Southbury officials also are concerned about the marine patrol’s efforts to become an organized police force.