Fairfield OKs police reorganization

By ANDREW BROPHY abrophy@ctpost.com
The Connecticut Post
updated 11:00 a.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 15, 2008

FAIRFIELD — The 78-year-old Fairfield Police Department is in for major changes.

The town's Police Commission on Wednesday approved nearly all of the changes recommended by Blackburn Strategies Inc. of Harrisburg, Pa., a consultant hired in July to review how the department could be better organized.

"I'm extremely pleased," Police Chief David Peck said Thursday of the commission's unanimous endorsement. "These are the most dramatic changes I've seen in my close to 30 years in being here."

The only recommendation rejected by the commission was creation of a Citizen's Advisory Group that would meet monthly with the police chief to go over community concerns.

"The Citizen's Advisory Group would be pretty much redundant with what this board is doing," said Police Commission Chairman Samuel Lazinger. "This is the forum for citizens to make any comments, suggestions, grievances. I think it would be an unnecessary additional layer. We have a good group here."

Peck and several other commission members also didn't see the need for a Citizen's Advisory Group.

The most significant changes endorsed by the commission include:

• creating the position of deputy police chief, who would oversee a Field Services Bureau that includes the existing patrol, investigative and special services divisions;
• establishing a Support Services Bureau, which would include the administrative division and a unit to oversee the Emergency Communications Center and information technology;
• setting up an Office of Professional Standards to assist the chief in developing departmental policies and ensuring compliance with those policies;
• opening an Office of Public Affairs to handle media and community relations and crime prevention programs;
• setting up a Departmental Advisory Group, made up of officers and civilian employees in the police department, to identify problems in the department and come up with solutions.

The deputy chief would be selected from among the department's four captains. The other three captains would oversee the patrol division, Office of Professional Standards and Support Services Bureau.

The department now has four separate divisions — patrol, investigative, special services and administrative — and each is headed by a captain.

"The way it's set up now, there's a lot of cross-responsibility, both operationally and in staff functions," Peck said.

The total number of officers would remain constant at 108, and the department wouldn't need additional money to implement the changes, according to Peck.

The department backed off its request for three more officers and another detective in the 2008-09 fiscal year because First Selectman Kenneth Flatto had approved four more firefighters in the proposed budget, Peck said.

But Peck said the department may be able to get additional officers in the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Peck said he thinks the department is on board with the organizational changes proposed by Blackburn Strategies. "There are some people who are nervous because their assignments might change, but other than that, it's all positive, and I'm excited about it," he said.

Blackburn Strategies was paid $9,500 for the report, Peck said.