MINUTES

&nb= sp;

WATERTOWN POL= ICE COMMISSION

REGULAR MEETING<= /b>

WATERTOWN POL= ICE STATION

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2006, 7:30 = P.M.

PRESENT:            =             &nb= sp;    Thomas Durso, Chairman

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Patricia Kropp

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Joseph Pawlak

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Judy Pilicy

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Gary Stewart, Secretary

ABSENT:            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;      None

OTHERS PRESENT:            David Bromley, Police Sergeant

= ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;         John Carroll, Police Chief

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; John Gavallas, Deputy Police Chief

1.&nb= sp;        Convene Regular Meeting - 7:30 P.M.

&n= bsp;

Mr. Durso, Chairman, Called the Meeting to Order at 7:31 p.m.

&n= bsp;

2.&nb= sp;        Roll Call

Mr. Durso, Chairman, executed the Roll Call.

3.&nb= sp;        Public Participation

&= nbsp;          None

4.         = Minutes

&= nbsp;           A.=         Regular Meeting - December 14, 2005

            =             M= OTION:       (Mr. Stewart, sec. Ms. Kropp) to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes dated Decem= ber 14, 2005 as presented.

&= nbsp;           &nbs= p;           Discu= ssion:       None<= /p>

&= nbsp;           &nbs= p;           MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

Watertown= Police Commission

= Regular Meeting

= January 11, 2006<= /span>

= Page 2

=

5.         = Correspondence

            A.        Report from D.O.T. to the Police Commission, Re:&= nbsp; Route 63 at Chestnu= t Grove Road Signal Study and = Baldwin Street "No Thru Trucks= " Study.

            =             D= eputy Chief Gavallas explained the report. A discussion ensued.

            =             M= OTION:       (Ms. = Kropp, sec. Mr. Pawlak) that the question of trucks on Baldwin Street comply with the State Statutes.

            =             D= iscussion:       None<= /p>

            =             M= OTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

            =             M= OTION:       (Mr. Stewart, sec. Ms. Kropp) that the Commission concurs with the D.O.T. assess= ment on the issue of a traffic light at Chestnut Grove and Route 63.

            =             D= iscussion:       None<= /p>

            =             M= OTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

6.         = New Business

            MOTION:       (Mr. Stewart, sec. Ms. Kropp) that the Commission sees no problem with the additional signage for McDonald's and the traffic configuration.

            Discussion:       None<= /p>

            MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

&= nbsp;          Ms. Pilicy will forward a letter to the Planning and Zoning Commission stating = this Commission's approval.

&= nbsp;           A.=         Discussion to Upgrade Police Department Communication System

            =             D= eputy Chief Gavallas reported on the need for the new communication system.

            =             S= ergeant Bromley reported on the details of the new communication system.

            =             A discussion ensued.

Watertown Police Commission

Regular Meeting

January 11, 2006

Page 3

            =             M= OTION        (Mr. Stewart, sec. Ms. Kropp) that the Police Commission is in favor of the comm= unications upgrade and that we urge the Council to seriously consider the proposal.

            =             D= iscussion:       Mr. Pawlak: Where are we now with the existing equipment? Have we experience= d any failures or breakdowns of major force?

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: We had breakdowns, yes. The last breakdown was last year w= ith the lightning strike and we lost our base radio.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: The problem we're going to have is = the parts are not going to be available.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Pawlak: I understand. All electronics, the (inaudible) l= ives of electronics is getting shorter and shorter.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Ms. Pilicy: That and at some point the Police Department is going to have to do something.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Pawlak: Well we're going to have to do some= thing overall.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Chief Carroll: Plus we don't have a backup station= . That's our problem. If this goes down, we're out. We're working on cell phones, and = we've done that several times.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Durso: We've done that before and had to g= o on cell phones?

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Chief Carroll: Yea. (Inaudible) on an electrical failure.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Ms. Pilicy: Are you planning on taking this bef= ore the Council or are you looking for the Police Commission to take it before = the Council?

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Chief Carroll: We just want the approval that you'= re going to endorse this.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: Well we have to bring it to the Town Manager and she is aware that we're working on the numbers and she'll get i= t on the Agenda, and I think perhaps if this Commission came to the meeting and endorsed it.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Stewart: Is this a situation with Northeaste= rn Communications. I seem to rec= all that we ended up with a bid waiver on this.

Watertown Police Commission

Regular Meeting

January 11, 2006

Page 4

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: No, this would go out to bid.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Stewart: When I was on the Council we had a situation where . . . . .

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Chief Carroll: That was for repair work. They were the only ones who could = access the parts.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Stewart: So this isn't going to be a single = vendor bid?

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Chief Carroll: No.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Stewart: I don’t have anything against= them, I just remember doing a bid waiver on this company before.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: I used them because they have our s= ervice contract (inaudible) right now and they give us our quotes without a hassle= , so you'll see all the quotes that they've given us are in the back. The confusing one is the highway o= ne.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: These are good numbers.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: Yes, I called him yesterday to make= sure that the numbers are good and he said they're good.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Pawlak: This is just from one individual so= this is just a worst case scenario?

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: Correct, these are . . . .

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Pawlak: If we bid this out we could get les= s?

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: Right.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Ms. Pilicy: Because it's a Town project, are th= ere grants available for something like this?

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: Unfortunately there are a lot of gr= ants given to the large cities, that's where the grant money is going for things like this. We're very fortuna= te, in the lobby there is a huge crate, that's our live scan fingerprint system, (inaudible) and that's a $45,000 purchase we did get on a grant.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Pawlak: You couldn't get something for this homeland security?

Watertown Police Commission

Regular Meeting

January 11, 2006

Page 5

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: We can look into it certainly.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Chief Carroll: Homeland security shot us down on t= his.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: With homeland security, if you're replacing existing equipment, it's shut down, it's for the stuff that's new that you don't have.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Ms. Pilicy: But you don't have a backup system.=

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: We do have a backup system since th= e last failure last Summer.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Chief Carroll: We use the Fire Department's.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: Waterbury got a grant.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: But they got new equipment, changed frequencies, changed their whole system.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Pawlak: But it's still an upgrade.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Sgt. Bromley: The highway part itself might be an option because they're changing frequencies.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: Well we'll certainly look into any = grant money we can possibly find.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Pawlak: What about State money? They're running a surplus this yea= r I've heard.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Durso: Rainy day fund, though.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Ms. Pilicy: I'm just thinking because it would = be a Town project as opposed to a Police Department project that it might be loo= ked at differently for State funds.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Pawlak: Well it certainly encompasses more = than just the Police Department, you've got two other departments involved.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Mr. Stewart: We can always ask our representativ= es.

            =             &nb= sp;            =            Deputy Chief Gavallas: Yes.

            =             M= OTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

Watertown Police Commission

Regular Meeting

January 11, 2006

Page 6

            =             M= s. Pilicy will call Representative Williams to inquire about State funds.

7.         = Old Business

&= nbsp;           A.=         Review and Discussion of Fiscal Year 06/07 Police Budget

            &n= bsp;           Dep= uty Chief Gavallas reported on the proposed budget. A lengthy discussion ensued.

8.         = Chairman's Report

&= nbsp;           No= ne

9.         = Chief's Report

&= nbsp;           A.=         December Traffic Enforcement Data

            =             C= hief Carroll reported the data was included in the packet.

            =             D= eputy Chief Gavallas gave a report as well. A lengthy discussion ensued.

            =             M= s. Pilicy will send a letter to the Town Manager requesting verbatim minutes.<= /p>

10.       Adjou= rnment

=            MOTION:=        (Ms. = Kropp, sec. Mr. Pawlak) to Adjourn the Regular Meeting at 8:53 p.m.

=             D= iscussion:       None<= /p>

=             M= OTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

=             R= egular Meeting Adjourned at 8:53 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas Durso, Chairman

Watertown Police Commission

=

= Approved:     _________________= ______________

         = Lynn M. LaForme, Clerk