How much oversight power does it have?
Some officials say not enough
STAMFORD — A total of 22 complaints were lodged against the Stamford Police Department in 2019, and not one of the cases went before the civilian Police Commission. That could soon change.
Amid protests that have swept the nation calling for cities to root out systemic racism, including among police, Stamford’s department is looking at possible reforms, and one change could be in how the commission oper
ates.
Currently, the five-member commission only hears grievances, which happen when a police department employee challenges a punishment, such as a suspension. Investigations of complaints against employees are handled by the department’s Internal Affairs division, meaning most cases are resolved and not discussed in any public setting.
Of the 22 complaints in 2019, 13 were filed by civilians and nine were internal, meaning they were initiated by a police employee against a colleague, according to numbers provided by Police Commission Chairman Timothy Abbazia and Assistant Police Chief Thomas Wuennemann.
The commission did not hear a single grievance in 2019 and has discussed only one so far this year. Besides ruling on grievances, the commission also has the authority to hire, promote and fire officers.
Abbazia said the board is looking to be more active in an effort to bring greater transparency to officer accountability.
“Although we have a very high level of trust and strong working relationship with Internal Affairs and police chiefs over time, given how society has evolved, we need to be a little more proactive and assess the activity that occurs a little more,” he said.
Stepping up oversight
Mayor David Martin has directed the Police Commission to more actively review disciplinary cases.
Arthur Augustyn, spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said Martin “wants the Police Commission to review all complaints of excessive force.”
“This would provide more oversight of any disciplinary action or lack of action against use of excessive force,” Augustyn wrote, in an emailed statement. “The city believes Stamford’s Police Commission has more power than most civilian review boards and police commissions in Connecticut. Reviewing all complaints of excessive force would make them a more proactive commission.”
Further, Martin wants the commission meetings to be held in public spaces rather than exclusively at police headquarters, in an effort to make the meetings more accessible to the public.
The concept of revamping the commission’s role is still in its nascent stage, and the first step will be figuring out the legality of the commission addressing complaints without violating privacy laws. For example, should the commission name officers accused of misconduct and complainants when weighing in on cases or use generic titles?
Of the 22 complaints lodged against the police department in 2019, Internal Affairs found nearly all of them to be unfounded, or the offending employee or employees were exonerated, according to
Abbazia.
Only two of the citizeninitiated complaints were sustained, meaning the target of the accusation was suspended or received some sort of reprimand.
One was for excessive force, and resulted in a one-day suspension, according to Abbazia. The other sustained complaint was for an illegal stop, according to Wuennemann.
Of the 13 citizen complaints, four claimed excessive force, three alleged harassment, two argued that police conducted an illegal search, two claimed an illegal stop, and another two alleged a false or incomplete report, Wuennemann said.
Wuennemann did not provide more details about any of the complaints.
Police Chief Tim Shaw did not respond to a request for comment.
The assistant police chief said that five of the internal complaints, known as “administrative inquiries,” were upheld, meaning the offending police employee received some form of discipline, which can be as small as a letter in the employee’s file and as big as a suspension or dismissal.
Wuennemann did not specify what the nine internal complaints were for but said they can be for a variety of reasons, including tardiness.
Community outreach
On top of revising its policies, the five-member commission is also planning on reaching out to community organizations to educate residents about the board’s role.
“The community should know there is a civilian board that is involved in the review of the actions of police officers,” Abbazia said.
One organization members will reach out to is the Stamford chapter of the NAACP, whose President Guy Fortt said he welcomes the idea.
“You have to be active in the community,” Fortt said. “You want to make some difference? You want to make some change? You have to be a part of the solution.”
In a statement put out a month ago, the Stamford NAACP asked for police reforms. “In our experience, the best path forward is to hold all law enforcement accountable, demilitarize the police departments, and shift those public dollars to meaningful social services,” the statement said.
One of the proposed changes is to evaluate the complaint process.
Other suggestions include training officers to recognize mental health issues and better recognize when they need to get medical attention for a person in custody, a reference to the death of Steven Barrier while in police custody in October 2019.
Barrier, 23, became listless and unresponsive after leading officers, who were called to his house on a domestic violence complaint, on a foot chase through several neighborhoods. Officers carried him to to a police SUV, but he was taken to police headquarters, not Stamford Hospital.
When Barrier was taken out of the patrol vehicle at police headquarters, officers determined that he had lost consciousness. He was carried to a holding area and medical assistance was requested. He was taken to Stamford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner found no injuries had been inflicted on Barrier, and determined he died from a heart attack.
Changing police tactics
Fortt’s daughter recently played a critical role in instituting a new policy in the police department.
Anisa Fortt, a member of the NAACP Young Adults, told Stamford Police Chief Tim Shaw that it is no longer
Police officers already are required to exhaust all nonlethal alternatives before shooting. The only time an officer is allowed to shoot at someone is when potentially deadly physical force is being used against the officer or a third person, Shaw has said.
acceptable to just have police officers interact with the community by waving out a car window. She said police officers need to walk around the communities they police and interact with citizens.
Fortt made the statement during an online discussion between police representatives and members of the community, and she suggested officers get out of their cars more often and interact with residents.
Shaw liked the idea, and since the beginning of this month, added a new internal code for officers, 98PI, for personal interactions with residents.
“Gone are the days of just driving by and waving,” he said at a police commission meeting.
In response to social unrest in the country, Shaw has hosted meetings online and in-person to get feedback from residents. “We’ve had a lot of real productive talks about this community,” he said.
In an Op-Ed column that ran in The Stamford Advocate last month, Martin also said he had directed Shaw to ban chokeholds, require officers to exhaust all alternatives before using deadly force, and tell officers to intervene if they witness another officer acting inappropriately.
Martin said officers will be banned from shooting at moving vehicles and will be required to use deescalation techniques as part of a list of possible reforms.
Shaw has said many of the proposed changes are already part of department policy. Police officers already are required to exhaust all nonlethal alternatives before shooting. The only time an officer is allowed to shoot at someone is when potentially deadly physical force is being used against the officer or a third person, Shaw has said.
Stamford police officers are not trained to use choke holds, the chief has said, adding it will be articulated in policy that chokeholds are banned. Deescalating situations before they become violent is already being practiced by the department, Shaw has said.