Police chief accused of 'anti-union campaign'

By RICHARD WEIZEL, Staff writer
ConnPost Article Launched: 11/03/2008 12:44:37 AM EST

Stratford police chief accused of 'anti-union campaign - Topix

STRATFORD -- There was a dramatic confrontation Sunday in the most unlikeliest of places -- the Stratford Library -- between the brother of a police captain demoted last week to sergeant and suspended for three months without pay, and Police Chief John Buturla.

It was Buturla's first public appearance since Stratford Police Union Local 407 AFSCME voted 83-10 last Monday to issue the department's first-ever vote of no confidence in its police chief.

The union cited Buturla's "anti-union campaign" that has included leading a "politically motivated" internal investigation that resulted last week in the demotion and suspension of Capt. Joseph McNeil, but also because of what it claims has been the chief's violation of union agreements and contracts.

On Sunday it was McNeil's brother, Hamden Police Lt. Mike McNeil, who challenged the chief publicly about the way the Stratford department's internal investigation was conducted, insisting the chief had taken part in a "politically motivated campaign by Mayor James Miron" to discredit his brother.

The Sunday confrontation came near the end of a presentation Buturla was making to about 30 people on how the 112-member department works.

Mike McNeil questioned Buturla about Stratford's decision to demote and suspend his brother for his alleged involvement in the leaking of the personnel file earlier this year of former police applicant Christian Miron, the brother of the Stratford mayor.

"You made a lot about the way [Christian] Miron's personnel file was released, but all you have is circumstantial evidence that Joseph McNeil was involved in any way," Mike McNeil told the chief. "Then you turn around and publicly release all the information to the press on the internal investigation of Capt. McNeil. How do you explain that if it wasn't political pressure by the mayor?"

Buturla said the mayor "had no involvement in the disciplinary process," having recused himself, and that the release of McNeil's report came only after the media had made a Freedom of Information request to obtain the findings.

"We had no choice but to release that information once the media requested it under the state's FOI statute," Buturla said.

However, when it was pointed out to the chief by a reporter that it was the media who was contacted by the town to pick up more than 150 pages of reports ready for distribution -- and subsequently asked by town officials to sign an FOI request -- he declined further comment.

"There is still a criminal investigation being conducted by the chief state's attorney's office and I don't believe it would be appropriate to comment any further," Buturla said.

A woman who refused to identify herself said "it is unfair and inappropriate for the chief to be asked these questions today."

Stratford police union leaders who were present, however, said afterward they were stunned the chief had "apparently lied" publicly about how and when McNeil's disciplinary report was released by the town.

"This is what he's been doing in dealing with the union all along, but for him to say the McNeil report was made public only because the media asked for it when the town had it all ready to distribute, that's kind of shocking," said Sgt. Victor Velez, who serves on the union's executive board.

Police Detective Ariel Leon, also a member of the union's executive board, said afterward he was disappointed the chief didn't address the department's "nearly complete loss of confidence in his leadership.

"How can he lead this department when 83 out of 93 officers voted against him?" Leon said. "Is he going to start demoting and suspending every one of us who speaks out?

Buturla and other town officials concluded in its report that McNeil and former union president Sgt. Shawn Farmer, who resigned in May, acted together earlier this year in releasing to council members and the media the personal background file of former police applicant Christian Miron.

While the town report issued by Chief Administrative Officer Suzanne McCauley does not speculate on the officers' motives for releasing the files, some in the department have said they believe Miron was not qualified and was being fast-tracked for a job because he was the mayor's brother.