Committee Formed to 'Reorganize' East Haven Police

The following is a press release submitted by the East Haven Mayor's Office.

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. announced today the formation of a new advisory committee to the town and called "LEARN." The Mayor explained, "The acronym stands for 'Law Enforcement Advisory Resource Network."

Maturo explained, "The purpose of the committee is to serve as network that our Police Department and Police Commission can rely on for suggestions and advice regarding the important policy issues that our department and town are currently working on."

However, the mayor continued, "The purpose of this body is not simply just to advise. The idea is that this committee will serve as the backbone of a network amongst all of the Town's business, community, and governmental resources. The goal is to bring all of those resources before one committee to help determine how we can help our Police Department address the current areas of concern."

The committee is composed of several individuals of various walks of life. Some committee members work for the Town including the Mayor, the Chief of Police, the Deputy Chief of Police, and Sergeant Edward Lennon. Others, like Jose Velasquez, are simply committee volunteers with a good sense of the needs of the community.

Others, like Stanley Konesky Jr. and George Miller are seasoned law enforcement advisors whose opinions on the topics of law enforcement, diversity training, and reform have been relied upon by departments across the state. Mr. Konesky serves as an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven, an instructor at POSTC (Police Officers Standards and Training Council) and is a former Branford Lieutenant.

Mr. Miller is a certification and policy expert and former instructor at Yale University as well as Connecticut College. Past Town Attorney Lawrence Sgrignari has agreed to provide basic legal advice to the committee at its meetings on a pro bono basis.

Maturo explained, "In the end, this committee is going to be a valuable tool that will help us analyze our Police Department and the suggestions brought forth to the town by the Department of Justice. We look forward to working with the Department of Justice to implement their suggestions in a way that is better for the entire community.

Maturo then concluded, "This committee is a critical first step toward rebuilding and modernizing our Police Department to meet the challenges of a changing world."