The 2,203^rd meeting of the Darien Police Commission was held on the above mentioned date at Police Headquarters. Commissioner Johnson, Commissioner Santarella, Chief Lovello, Captain Pavia, Officer T.C. Isaac, Officer Moore, and Jan Lesko (Commission Recording Secretary) were present. Commissioner Harrel monitored the meeting via telephone but did not introduce or vote on any motion. The meeting was taped by Jim Cameron for Channel 79. The meeting was called to order at 5:04 PM.

Commissioner Santarella motioned to approve the minutes of the meeting held on March 10, 2010, seconded by Commissioner Johnson. All were in favor. The time was 5:06 PM. Commissioner Johnson opened the meeting by issuing the following statement:

a. Chief Lovello advised that updated copies of the Department’s harassment policy have been distributed to all police and civilian staff. Each employee is required to sign off on this policy.

b. Captain Pavia addressed the Commission on initiatives being looked at by the Patrol Division. Officer Isaac spoke concerning the DWI checkpoints. A grant of $46,000 has been acquired by the Department to conduct DWI checkpoints in cooperation with Stamford and New Canaan. Last week the first checkpoint was conducted in Stamford near the Darien border. The goal is to conduct one checkpoint per month, with April’s checkpoint being conducted in Darien.

Officer Moore discussed recent improvement in the gathering of statistical data for officers which allows for better monitoring of activity. Both Commissioner Johnson and Commissioner Santarella emphasized that despite public perception, the Police Department does not have a “quota” that needs to be met each month.

Officer Isaac advised that he will soon be submitting the Department’s 3^rd Annual Traffic Challenge report. Darien Police Department has won 1^st place in the past 2 years.

Officer Isaac advised that the initiative to reduce speeding within a one-mile radius of the high school has thus far been a success. Both Captain Pavia and Officer Isaac stressed that educating the public first makes the initiatives much more effective.

Captain Pavia advised the Commission that there is an interest in having a school resource officer and he is currently looking for volunteers within the Department to form a research committee for this position. Ideally this would be a full-time assignment at the high school but due to current economic conditions we would be looking to start this program on a part-time basis. Further research would be necessary prior to any initiative being proposed both to the Police Commission as well as the Board of Education. Captain Pavia emphasized the good working relationship we currently enjoy not only with Superintendent Fiftal, but the high school administration as well.

Captain Pavia also briefed the Commission on research currently being done regarding the deployment of police K9 assets into a school setting. Captain Pavia reported that we are speaking with other agencies using K9 teams in their high schools to gain the benefit of their experience, whether it involves after-hours drug sweeps or general patrols in the school. Captain Pavia will report back on his findings to determine if further action in this regard is worth exploring with the school superintendent and the Board of Education.

c. After-action reports submitted by Lt. Anderson, Lt. Osborne, Sgt. Cirillo, Sgt. Marron, and Sgt. Cirillo regarding the March 13^th storm were summarized by Chief Lovello. It is apparent that the following items need to be addressed:

1. The Department’s communications center is not up to the task of receiving the volume of calls we experienced. We were unable to answer many routine calls on non-emergency lines.

7. Code Red worked great. Residents should be encouraged to subscribe to Nixle and Code Red and reminded to keep a landline phone in their homes which can be used in the event of a power outage.

Chief Lovello noted that a normal shift consists of 8 officers and during the storm we had 21 officers on duty. He noted that there were no fatalities or seriously injuries from the storm. Chief Lovello will be submitting an executive summary of the after-action reports to the Police Commission.

Chief Lovello will be attending the March 31st meeting of the Board of Selectmen to discuss the storm After-Action Reports and offer recommendations.

Chief Lovello advised that he had his budget review last week with Board of Finance members Martha Banks and Joe Duan. The Department’s request for vehicle replacements was eliminated. Patrol vehicles have historically been traded in every 2 years. The Board of Finance is recommending that patrol vehicles are kept for 3 years. It is anticipated that we will experience increased mechanical maintenance for items no longer covered under warranty, and seats and other components may need replacement due to normal wear along with substantially decreased trade-in value.

Captain Pavia advised that he has received a request from Braking the Cycle Road Race for permission for bicyclists to pass through Darien as part of their bike race on September 26, 2010. This event has occurred in the past and has not caused any traffic issues.

Before adjournment of the meeting, Commissioner Santarella reiterated Commissioner Johnson’s earlier statement commending the members of the Darien Police Department for their dedication and professionalism during the March 13^th storm. There being no other business to be considered, Commissioner Santarella motioned to adjourn, seconded by Commissioner Johnson. All were in favor. The time was 5:05 PM.