DERBY — Mayor Rich Dziekan issued a prepared statement Thursday morning saying the Derby Fire Department chief “does not deserve to serve in a public position.”
The statement comes after Derby Fire Department Chief Robert Laskowski posted a comment on Facebook saying “they need a few Blackhawks with snipers to solve the problem,” in reference to clashes between police and the public during mass demonstrations in New York City June 1.
Click here for a previous story.
Laskowski made his comments while listening to a police/fire scanner that was carrying live emergency radio dispatches from New York City.
The massive crowds in New York City were part of a wave of protests that happening in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day in Minnesota.
In an interview Wednesday, Laskowski said was not representing the city or the fire department, and that his comment should be viewed within the context of what was happening when he wrote it.
“It was just an off-the-cuff comment I made when it sounded like the city was falling apart and the police were losing control,” Laskowski said. “It sounded like police were on their own, and my comment was just that they needed military help to calm things down. I didn’t say go shoot people. I didn’t say anything racist. It sounded like complete chaos. They needed help. That’s what I was saying.”
On June 2, Laskowski posted that it sounded like New York City was calmer than the previous night.
Laskowski was installed as fire chief in January 2019. He has been volunteering in Derby for more than 20 years.
He was placed on administrative leave Wednesday pending a disciplinary hearing that will be handled by Derby Fire Commissioner Gary Parker.
Dziekan’s statement Thursday was a sharp rebuke. Dziekan is a retired Hamden police officer.
“The Chief’s comments suggested that the military use violent tactics to control the protesters. Statements of violence are not protected by the First Amendment and will not be tolerated by my administration,” according to the mayor’s statement. “The Fire Chief’s statement reflect poorly on the department that he represents as well as our great City.”
“Our nation is currently facing massive challenges. In addition to dealing with a global pandemic, our nation is reacting to the unconscionable, horrifying and disturbing conduct of several Minneapolis police officers that resulted in the death of George Floyd,” Dziekan said. “Those officers’ actions, individually and collectively, were reprehensible and demonstrated a level of illegality, inhumanity and depravity that is unacceptable on any level.”
Dziekan called the chief “particularly tone-deaf to current events.”
“His posting does not represent the good men and women that serve our community, undermines the integrity of the department and is contrary to the department’s goals. A person with such a cavalier disregard to this event, does not deserve to serve in a public position,” the mayor said.
The disciplinary hearing could raise First Amendment issues, said Curt Varone, an attorney in Rhode Island and a retired deputy assistant chief with the City of Providence. Click here for a Q&A he authored on firefighters and free speech in 2018.
“Firefighters have a First Amendment right to their opinion, and there is not a sharp line drawn between ‘this is appropriate’ and ‘this is not appropriate’,” Varone told The Valley Indy Wednesday.
Disciplinary actions must be tied to a written rule, he said.
“It all depends on how it is interpreted and who is doing the interpretation. You can’t just discipline somebody because you disagree with something they said,” Varone said. “But many fire departments don’t have firm rules with social media. They try to say it’s conduct unbecoming, or it’s detrimental to the organization, but they don’t have a specific social media policy. They have to point to a rule that was violated.”
