DERBY — The city’s legislative body last week agreed to pay up to $117,000 $122,000 to equip Derby police officers with body and in-vehicle cameras.
Note: the $117,000 originally cited was a typo from the meeting agenda.
The move is required by the state’s police accountability legislation, passed last year after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin.
Under the new camera requirements, Derby will be reimbursed 50 percent of the initial outlay to purchase the equipment. Derby qualifies for the reimbursement because it’s an economically-distressed community. The costs going forward will be borne by the city and its taxpayers.
Derby police had cameras previously, but they never worked properly, according to Derby Police Chief Gerald Narowski. The lack of cameras surfaced in the media in April, when a Derby officer shot a man on Division Street. The man had fired a gun at a passing car, according to police, but no police-footage existed due to the lack of cameras.
Connecticut’s law requires the equipment to be installed and officers trained by July 2022.
Members of the Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen approved the money and gave permission to Mayor Richard Dziekan to sign a contract with Watchguard (owned by Motorola), the company providing the cameras and associated equipment.
In February, Narowski talked with the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation about the new rules, including the need to purchase cameras.
In March, the Aldermen/Alderwomen voted to authorize the mayor to sign an application to the state for the 50 percent reimbursement.
Narowski told the board at the time he could submit for the grant within 30 days if the city allocated the money. The complete discussion can be viewed starting at the 50 minute, 39 second mark of this video.
However, at a Derby Police Commission meeting earlier this month, Narowski told commissioners that the city had not authorized the funding to purchase the cameras.
The purchase was not included in the chief’s budget request to the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation because it was considered a capital expense.
But the Derby Capital Planning Commission, a group not even included in a drop-down list of commissions on the City of Derby’s meeting calendar, had not met.
“We’re ready to move forward but we need that funding first,” Narowski told the police commission July 12. The video can be viewed here, and the discussion about funding happens at the 10-minute mark.
The commission voted to authorize police commission chairman Thomas Lenart to contact the tax board and the Aldermen/Alderwomen to request the matter be placed on a meeting agenda. City/Town Clerk Marc Garofalo suggested the police commission include the mayor’s office in any communication.
The camera purchase then made its way to the July 22 agenda of the Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen. To watch the discussion, click this link then go to the 6 minute, 20 second mark of the video.
Alderwoman Sarah Widomski asked why the matter was back, given the vote the board took in March. Narowski said the city had not released money to buy the equipment. The chief said the Alders would have to approve the purchase, and the tax board would have to come up with the money to pay.
“If there’s no money in place, I can’t start the procurement,” Narowksi said.
Widomski said she felt like the authorization was previously given in March, and that the new motion in July seemed repetitive.
“The bottom line is that we’ve run into a dead end because we don’t have a capital planning commission that has met to fund this. The tax board doesn’t have money appropriated for this, nor do they have the authority to do that because your board is the only one that can enter into a contract,” Narowski said.
