SEYMOUR — Members of the Seymour Board of Police Commissioners questioned the leaders of the department last week regarding whether enough steps were taken to make sure officers were OK after responding to two horrific car crashes on the same day.
On July 31, a mother and her adult son with special needs died after their vehicle went off Route 34 and into the Housatonic River. The circumstances of that tragedy remain under investigation.
Later that same day, an 18-year-old Derby man who had recently graduated from high school was found dead inside his vehicle, which had crashed in the woods off Clinton Road. That incident also remains under investigation.
At a police commission meeting Aug. 19, Commissioner John Duke asked Seymour Police Department Chief Paul Satwkowski about the after-effects of those two events on the officers’ mental health.
“Chief, is there any reason that any kind of critical incident stress debriefing wasn’t offered by the department for the guys who were at either one of those calls that day?” Duke asked Satkowski.
Satkowski said the officers on scene were told about counseling available to them, and to communicate any concerns.
Another Semour agency, apparently Seymour EMS from what was indicated though not said directly at the meeting, offered a debriefing on the incidents. Satkowski said officers were able to attend that session, but it was optional. Apparently no officers were able to attend the full debriefing.
“If they felt it was necessary, then they were able to attend,” Satkowski said.
The audio from the exchange is embedded below. Click play to listen.
Deputy Chief Roberto Rinaldi also said the officers were given the opportunity to attend a debriefing on the traumatic incidents.
Kyle Kelley, the Seymour Ambulance Association chief who is also on the board of police commissioners, said an officer did try to attend the debriefing, but arrived late because he was busy responding to police calls.
Kelley suggested that in the future officers should be taken off the road so they can attend such traumatic incident debriefings.
“I think if they are told they have the option to go, and they will be covered on their shift, however that has to happen, I think that should be clarified a little bit better next time,” Kelley said.
Robert Koskelowski, the chairman of the Seymour Police Commission, a retired police officer, and the town’s former First Selectman, suggested the police department make traumatic incident debriefings mandatory, not optional.
“Make them go, it might help them in the future,” Koskelowski said.
Duke commended Seymour police for doing a good job in handling the incidents. Kelly also commended the police officers for their actions in trying to save the mother and son who were in the submerged vehicle.
“All the officers that were there did a tremendous job,” Kelly said.
Other Matters
Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Seymour Police Commission have been holding their meetings online using the Zoom video conferencing platform.
The video below is the full Aug. 19 meeting.
The meeting’s agenda included a routine monthly report from Chief Satkowski, who talked about the department’s budget, a new invoice system being used, and other matters the chief has been dealing with, such as union negotiations.
Satkowksi also said Seymour had two commercial burglaries between July and August, but did not provide details. He also said officers responded to a domestic incident that resulted in “serious physical injuries,” on Brookfield Road, but did not elaborate.
Satkowski said the Seymour Police Department’s administration is trying to navigate the new police accountability bill recently made into law by state legislators (though Seymour’s representatives in Hartford voted against it).
He said the cost to enact the new rules and procedures will be “astronomical,” noting that he did not think lawmakers realized how much money the law will cost. Satkowski mentioned there are “unanticipated costs” connected to training and potential litigation. He is hoping that the law is revised once state lawmakers are back in session.
Some of those costs include law enforcement modernization — such as installing cameras in patrol cars, and putting body cams on officers.
Satkowski said the department may have to come up with an additional $250,000 to $300,000 (over the course of several years) to comply with the camera rules. That number did not include storing the digital video.
“You’re going to see these costs in the next budget cycle, no doubt about it,” Satkowski said.
The chief said reimbursement is available for some communities up to 50 percent, but that’s for economically distressed communities. The chief said he expects reimbursement from the state in the neighborhood of 30 percent.
Questionable Executive Session Notice Clarified
The commission’s agenda included an improperly noticed executive session.
Executive sessions are closed to the public, and are allowed under state law in specific circumstances. The police commission agenda listed the reason as simply “personnel,” which doesn’t give the public enough information because it is too generic. Public entities can enter into executive session to discuss a specific employee, not just “personnel.”
The Valley Indy has posed this question and had the answer confirmed several times with Tom Hennick, the public education officer for the state’s Freedom of Information Commission.
Before entering the executive session, Chairman Koskelowski said the subject of the executive session was a matter previously raised at a police commission meeting, but gave no reason that complied with state law until prompted by Bryan L. LeClerc, the commission’s lawyer.
“Mr. Chairman, that is I assume because of safety and security and investigatory techniques, correct?” LeClerc asked, citing legitimate reasons the police commission could meet in private.
“Yes,” Koskelowski said.