The Police Commission

Needs To Lead

To the Editor:

I must say I’m flabbergasted by the recent letter to The Bee from Mr Finnegan, who appears to be running for Police Commissioner.

After a year of my identifying shortfalls in the Police Commissioner’s performance, including:

Favoring one neighborhood over another

Lack of due diligence when making decisions

Lack of initiative in pro-offering any plan to help address Newtown’s growing traffic issues

Lack of independent thinking as evidenced by 100 percent unanimous votes over the last 18 months

Failure to conduct even the most basic obligations of the job such as managing their own agenda, writing their own responses to consultants studies, and authoring their own motions

Failure to abide by The Freedom of Information Act, Roberts Rules of Order, and their embarrassing lack of attention to detail

Unwillingness to maintain and even understand the need for proper checks and balances

all the commissioner could come up with is the silly suggestion that I am a “want-to-be chief.”

I’m not asking the Police Commission to do the chief’s work; I and the voters expect the Police Commissioners to do their own work.

The idea that the commissioners hire the police chief and then sit back and watch is ludicrous. Where is their accountability? We expect our elected Police Commission to lead the Police Department, to be inquisitive, to be studious, to be fair and equal, to get above the trees and understand the issues facing Newtown and pro-offer solutions and approaches. Not sit back and watch the parade!

 All we have gotten from the Police Commission is their “ghost written” response to the Queen Street Traffic Study, which The Newtown Bee characterized as the most nonsensical plan ever to be put before the selectman. It is an accurate, but unfortunate, assessment of the Police Commissioners’ work.

It’s time for a change. The Police Commission needs more energy, new thoughts, and some independent thinking to get it reenergized. Our chief of police and officers deserve better leadership than they are getting from the current commissioners. Please consider voting for me for a position on the civilian Police Commission this November.

Its time for a change of the old guard.

Bruce W. Walczak

Independent Candidate for The Police Commission

12 Glover Avenue, Newtown                                 September 18, 2007