http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.secretpolice3dec12,0,2100980.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
By Zach Lowe
Staff Writer
December 12, 2006
STAMFORD - The Police Commission barred the public from a special meeting Saturday to discuss undisclosed personnel issues and switched the site of the meeting at the last minute.
The meeting occurred after city officials accused the police union of orchestrating a nine-day sickout that apparently ended Friday.
The union has denied organizing the sickout, which would be a violation of state labor law and the union's contract with the city.
An Advocate reporter went to 73 Ocean Drive West in the Shippan section of Stamford - the home of Police Commission Chairman Mark Denham - at 12:30 p.m. Saturday to attend the meeting, but no one answered the door and no one appeared to be home. No lights were on, and no cars were in the driveway.
It is unusual for the commission to meet on a weekend or at a member's home. Most meetings are held Monday evenings at police headquarters.
When the reporter called police headquarters Saturday seeking the site of the meeting, the man who answered said neither he nor the desk sergeant on duty knew about a Police Commission meeting that day.
The meeting was held at police headquarters, Denham said. The commission moved the meeting because he was out of town and could not host it, Denham said. He participated by telephone.
City and Town Clerk Donna Loglisci said her office never received notice of the meeting, as required by the state Freedom of Information Act.
Denham would not say what was discussed at the 12:30 p.m. meeting, which lasted until 2:10 p.m. He said nearly the entire meeting was held in executive session, meaning the public could not attend.
Officer Michael Merenda, president of the police union, said the commissioners would not let him attend because they were in executive session. Merenda said the commissioners told him they went into executive session to discuss "personnel matters."
They did not elaborate, he said.
Public meetings may go into executive session to discuss personnel issues only if the matter involves a specific employee or employees, according to state Freedom of Information laws. The employee or employees must agree to have the meeting held in executive session.
Denham said yesterday the commission discussed general personnel issues, not cases involving specific employees.
"I guess we made a mistake then," Denham said when informed of the rules for executive session. "It was my understanding we could go into executive session for personnel issues whenever we wanted."
Loglisci said yesterday that her office did not receive notice of a Saturday police commission meeting. Special meetings, such as the one held Saturday, are required by law to be posted with the town clerk at least 24 hours in advance. The notice must state the time and place of the meeting and the business scheduled to be discussed.
There also is no record of a Saturday meeting on the Police Commission's page on the city's Web site, www.cityofstamford.org.
"Personnel matters" were the only issues to be discussed, according to an agenda for the meeting sent to The Advocate. Under state law, boards and commissions are supposed to specify what they plan to discuss.
Mayor Dannel Malloy wrote to the chairmen of dozens of city boards and commissions in January reminding them of their obligation to file agendas with the city clerk and take minutes at all meetings. The Police Commission - which had not filed any records with the clerk's office for two years - then filed records dating to 2004. At the time, the Fire Commission was being scrutinized for lax record-keeping of its meetings.
Under the state Freedom of Information Act, records of votes must be made public within 48 hours, and minutes of meetings must be available for public inspection within seven days.
In January, Malloy said boards and commissioners commonly overuse executive sessions because members, who are volunteers, don't know the rules.
"I think if you ask most people, they think you can talk about personnel issues in executive sessions, when in fact personnel issues alone is not sufficient reason," the mayor said at the time. "Even when they are going into executive session, the public should know what they are discussing in executive session."
Members must vote to go into executive session.
- Staff Writers Donna Porstner and Mark Ginocchio contributed to this story.
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