Police Budget Request Seeks More Firepower

By Andrew Gorosko

Following preliminary review of the proposed $3.3 million police budget for the 2005-06 fiscal year, the selectmen have shaved $12,000 from the spending plan, recommending that police purchase new .45-caliber semiautomatic pistols across two fiscal years, instead of in one fiscal year.

On January 31, the selectmen thus reduced the Police Commission’s proposed $3,318,713 spending plan by $12,000 to $3,306,713. The reduced budget represents a $149,341 increase in police spending over the current $3.15 million budget, reflecting a 4.7 percent spending hike.

The proposed $3.3 million police budget is one of four municipal budget line items involving police spending, representing the vast majority of local law enforcement budgeting.

Last April, town voters approved an $84.4 million budget for the current fiscal year, $31.3 million of which covered town government costs, and $53.1 million of which covered public education.

In its 2005-06 budget proposal, the Police Commission had proposed that the town buy 46 copies of new .45-caliber Glock semiautomatic Model 21 pistols to replace the police’s Smith & Wesson Sigma Model 40-F .40-caliber semiautomatic pistols. Higher caliber pistols fire heavier, larger slugs and have more stopping power.

The selectmen decided instead that such a purchase should be spread across two fiscal years, to effectively reduce the proposed 2005-06 police budget by $12,000.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe said police are agreeable to such a purchase arrangement, provided that half of the 46 pistols be bought at the end of the 2005-06 fiscal year, and that the other half of the pistols be purchased at the beginning of the 2006-07 fiscal year. Such an arrangement would allow all pistols to essentially be acquired at the same time, thus allowing police training in the use of the new pistols to proceed smoothly, according to the police chief.

The police department requires that all patrol officers carry the same handgun. Plainclothes officers sometimes carry a compact, more easily concealable, version of the patrol officers’ weapon.

In a memorandum to the selectmen, police stated that, “Since purchasing the Sigma Model 40-F pistols in 1998, problems with the pistols have been on the rise. The trigger pull on these pistols has always been inconsistent and sometimes difficult. There have been problems with the firing pins.”

The memo was written by police firearms instructors Detective Joseph Joudy and patrol Officer Phil Hynes.

Also, there have been instances in which several pistols have failed to eject spent ammunition cartridges. During 2004, at least five handguns experienced stoppages due to a failure to eject spent cartridges. Such incidents occurred on the firing range.

“If a malfunction of this nature were to occur in a real scenario, an officer may not have the time or opportunity to correct the problem, and the consequences could be tragic,” according to the police memorandum.

The malfunctioning of the pistols has increased as the weapons have undergone increased usage, and it is expected that malfunctions will increase as the weapons get additional use on the firing range, according to police.

The Smith & Wesson handgun now used by police is no longer manufactured and the limited availability of spare parts poses concerns, according to the police memorandum.

“The Glock pistol has proven itself as a reliable sidearm with the law enforcement community for roughly two decades, and has remained relatively unchanged in design during that time…Transitional training to the Glock pistols would be minimal,” according to police.

The Glock pistol has a superior trigger mechanism compared to the Smith & Wesson weapon, according to the police memo.

Before police used the Smith & Wesson weapons, they had carried the Glock Model 19, which is a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol.

In reviewing the police spending proposal, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal asked whether police need to replace all officers’ handguns at the same time, suggesting that gun acquisition be spread across a span of two to three fiscal years.

Chief Kehoe replied that gun acquisition spread across two fiscal years was workable, provided that half the weapons be acquired at the end of 2005-06 and the other half of the guns at the beginning of 2006-07. In effect, half of the guns would be bought in June 2006, and the other half would be purchased the following month.

The existing Smith & Wesson pistols would have some trade-in value, the police chief said. The weapons would be sold to a gun dealer for resale for legitimate purposes, he said.

Smith & Wesson is based in Springfield, Mass. Glock is an Austrian company, which has a factory in Smyrna, Ga.

 

44th Officer Requested

In their budget proposal, police recommend creating a 44th sworn police officer position. That post would be created in January 2006, so that only one-half of an officer’s annual salary and benefits would be reflected in the 2005-06 budget.

Having a 44th officer would provide police with more staffing flexibility and allow the police department to be more “proactive,” said police Captain Joe Rios. “As the community grows, the police department needs to grow with it,” he said.

Selectman Joseph Bojnowski pointed out that the police budget proposal represents an approximately five percent spending hike.

Police Commission member Gerald Finnegan responded that the public continues to seek additional police services.

Mr Rosenthal noted that proposed spending for police overtime is up from the current $115,000 to $125,000.

Chief Kehoe said some of that increased overtime spending would stem from police coverage of Newtown Tercentennial events, such as a fireworks display.

Also, the selectmen posed a variety of questions about a Police Commission proposal to spend $12,400 to buy several devices to be used for motor vehicle accident investigations and crime scene investigations. They are a LAZAR-brand measuring device, a Vericom-brand dynamometer, and a computer mapping system.

The selectman asked that police provide them with additional details on the need for the three devices.

Before submitting their recommended 2005-06 municipal budget to the Legislative Council for its review, the selectmen will reconsider various spending proposals, including the proposed $3.3 million police budget.