Date: Fri 07-May-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Lysaght-police-evaluation

Full Text:

Lysaght Builds His Case On Paper

(with photo)

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Police Chief James E. Lysaght, Jr, has presented Police Commission members

with a massive amount of reference material supporting his rebuttal to his

recent unsatisfactory job performance evaluation by the commission.

Chief Lysaght said Wednesday preparing the documents for Police Commission

review kept him busy for a while. He said he tried to be complete in

presenting the material. The chief said he hopes commission members take time

to closely review the documents.

The 164 documents include the commission's meeting minutes dating back to

January 1996, letters, memoranda, contracts, diagrams, and documents

concerning police training, radio communications, computers, job performance

evaluations, citizen complaints and internal investigations within the police

department, among other items.

Chief Lysaght hand-delivered copies of the documents to the first selectman's

office April 29. They were disclosed under the provisions of the state Freedom

of Information Act.

Chief Lysaght referenced those various documents in his April 15 response to

the Police Commission's highly negative evaluation of his job performance

submitted to him on April 6. In his response, Chief Lysaght rebutted the

Police Commission's allegations of poor job performance, providing a different

perspective on the events described by the commission.

In its April 6 evaluation, the commission found the chief has not corrected

deficiencies in his performance which were listed in his preceding job

evaluation last September, and has not displayed the skills needed to

effectively lead and manage the police department.

In the chief's September evaluation, Police Commission members stated that

unless his performance improves to a "satisfactory" level, and unless he meets

the goals he agreed to with the Police Commission, the commission believes it

will have "just cause" to fire him. In their April 6 job evaluation Police

Commission members rated the chief's job performance as "unsatisfactory."

Police Commission Chairman James Reilly said Tuesday commission members are

reviewing the reference material supplied by the chief. Mr Reilly said he had

reviewed almost one-third of the information so far.

After commission members review the material, they will hold a special meeting

later this month to consider what steps to take in light of the chief's

response, Mr Reilly said.

Commission members will conduct that meeting in closed session, unless the

chief wants it held in open session, Mr Reilly said.

If commission members agree to seek the chief's dismissal, they would draw up

a list of specifications explaining why they seek to do so, provide that list

to the chief, and then schedule a public hearing on his termination, Mr Reilly

said.

On the job performance issue, Mr Reilly has said, "It's a situation that's

hanging over the police department, creating a lot of speculation."

Uncertainty about the chief's future distracts attention from routine police

operations, Mr Reilly has said.

Mr Reilly has said the commission's options continue to range from "doing

nothing" to "dismissing" the chief.

State law describes procedures a police commission must follow when it seeks

to fire a police chief. No police chief can be fired unless there is a showing

of "just cause" by the police commission and the chief has been given notice

in writing of the specific grounds for such a firing and an opportunity to be

heard in his own defense, personally or by his lawyer, at a public hearing

before the commission.

Chief Lysaght has hired attorney John Kelly of Orange to represent him in

connection with his job evaluation. Mr Kelly, who is the chief's legal

adviser, would represent the chief if the Police Commission brings the matter

to a job termination hearing.