Board of Police Commissioners Regular Meeting Agenda
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| Board/Commission | Board of Police Commissioners |
|---|---|
| Meeting Date | January 12, 2026 |
| Pages | 22 |
| File Size | 6.6 MB |
| OCR Status | Searchable (OCR processed) |
| Source URL | Original |
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Town of Waterford, Connecticut, Police Commission Meeting Agenda Waterford Town Hall Auditorium 1112/2026 5:00 pm Call to order and establish quorum: Pledge of Allegiance: Public input: Acceptance of minutes: December 8, 2025 Regular Meeting Correspondence: a. Thank you letter from Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics b. Thank you note from Recreation & Parks Traffic Commission Review: Chief's Report: a. b. c. K9 Reports for December Youth Report for December Investigative Services Report for December Training Report for December Support Services Report for December Patrol Report for December Animal Control Report for December Community Engagement Report for December Old Business: New Business: a. Request for a Standing Order Approving Out-of-Series Budget Transfers moving forward. MINUTES BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS December 8, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. PRESENT: Commissioner M. Gelinas, Commissioner J. Dimmock, Commissioner C. Gamble ABSENT: Commissioner R. Brule, Commissioner T. Sheridan DEPARTMENT: Chief M. Balestracci, LT D. Ferland, LT N. VanOverloop, LT P. Flanagan, Traffic Officer M. Devine CALL TO ORDER AND ESTABLISH A QUORUM: Commissioner Gelinas called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Auditorium. A Quorum was established. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE PUBLIC INPUT: Quaker Hill resident Helen Kwasniewski commented on the speeding problem on Bloomingdale Road and made positive remarks regarding the Police Department’s FY27 budget. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: MOTION: Made by Commissioner Gamble and seconded by Commissioner Dimmock to accept the November 10, 2025 Regular Meeting minutes. Motion passed. CORRESPONDENCE: Correspondence was reviewed. TRAFFIC COMMISSION REVIEW: Traffic report was received. CHIEF’S REPORT: a. K9 Reports for November November report was received. Youth Reports for November November report was received. Investigative Services for November November report was received. Training Report for November November report was received. Support Services Report for November November report was received. Patrol Report for November November report was received. Animal Control Report for November November report was received. Community Engagement Report for November November report was received, OLD BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: a. FY27 Budget Review. The commissioners agreed that no changes or corrections were needed and commented that the budget was well organized and presented. MOTION: Made by Commissioner Dimmock and seconded by Commissioner Gamble to approve the FY27 budget as presented. Motion passed unanimously. MOTION: Made by Commissioner Dimmock and seconded by Commissioner Gamble to enter into Executive Session at 5:28 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. The Board came out of Executive Session at 6:15 p.m. No votes or actions were taken while in Executive Session. MOTION: Made by Commissioner Dimmock and seconded by Commissioner Gamble to adjourn the meeting at 6:15 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted by: Minne & Haul Diane E. Driscoll Recording Secretary ee) LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN’ FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS CONNECTICUT December 11, 2025 Dear Chief, On behalf of the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics Connecticut, thank you for your unwavering dedication and support throughout 2025. Your commitment, enthusiasm, and leadership continue to make an extraordinary impact on the lives of our nearly 14,000 athletes, families, and communities across Connecticut. Because of your efforts our athletes were able to participate in 4 major yearly competitions, sports training across 26 sports and the Healthy Athletes program. As we look ahead, we are excited to invite you to our 2026 CTLETR Kickoff, on Thursday, February 19, 2026. This gathering will celebrate the accomplishments of 2025, highlight the lives changed through your involvement, and set the stage for another outstanding year of partnership and purpose. Here are the event details: 2026 CTLETR Kickoff Thursday, February 19, 2026 Foxwoods Resort Casino, Fox Tower Registration Opens: 9:00 a.m., Program: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (Lunch provided) e Register here: ee.°@ We hope you will join us as we honor the work you do share what is ahead for 2026. Your presence helps energize our movement and ensures our athletes know they have the full strength and support of Connecticut’s law enforcement community behind then. Thank you again for everything you do for Special Olympics Connecticut and the athletes we proudly serve. We look forward to seeing you at the 2026 Kickoff and embarking on another impactful year together. With gratitude, Amy Zdanowski Chief Chriy Chute, Sgt. Nikki Mordasiewicy Amy Zdanowski Chief Chris Chute Sgt. Nikki Mordasiewicz State Torch Run Liaison CT State Community College Hartford Police Department Special Olympics Connecticut Co-Director, CTLETR Co-Director, CTLETR Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Special AF AIR hd % 2666 State Street, Ste. 1, Hamden, CT 06517, USA —— Tel 203-230-1201 Fax 203-2301202 www.soct.org Olympics ft @ 4 Connecticut AG TTTAT ROFL. CEL fore POUCA, br Ble Jhb Ao, ML oat da ene bh Prat Plo Merkin | ie jae ance ae aise lglyt reir Peed supe 2 pe ppreciasle 406 7 fx dofor ‘plu’ Lome veel We ee | he fica Mon onl Yh Ly Har. The Waterford Police Department Traffic Officer Report December 2025 LINE OF SIGHT ISSUES: - None to report. DOT RELATED ISSUES. - None to report at this time PARKING COMPLAINTS: - No ongoing parking complaints at this time. ENFORCEMENT RELATED COMPLAINTS: - Additional enforcement was directed to the Route 85 and Cross road area for the holiday season. Route 1 was also a target area during December. REQUESTS FOR SIGNS OR CHANGE OF ROADWAY FEATURES: - Request to move a “Side Street” warning sign on Vauxhall St., due to multiple people pulling into the residences driveway, believing it to be Old Barry Road. We are currently working with & DPW to determine a location that gives proper distance from Old Barry Road and that is not causing motorist’s confusion and causing them to pull into the residential driveway by accident. UPCOMING EVENTS: - No upcoming events UPCOMING ROAD CONSTRUCTION WITH CLOSURE: - No large new projects taking place in the near future have been brought to my attention. TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT: 187 Total Traffic Stops Officer Devine #88 Reed #93 Jordan #103 Colkos #91 TOTAL Infractions 3 27 He 22 53 warnings 11 61 7 49 128 misdemeanor 0 3 0 3 6 The Waterford Police Department Traffic Officer Report December 2025 SPEED TRAFFIC SIGN DEPLOYMENT: Three solar powered speed signs are currently deployed around town at the below listed locations: 1. Great Neck Road (Route 213) southbound at Great Neck School. (25 mph zone) Count 1185 2209 3258 1823 3014 8774 7976 nna 6361 5583, 4765 8774 8163 2471 296 30 2 3988. 3191 2393 1595: 798 2. Clark Lane southbound at Clark Lane Middle School. (30 mph zone) 20865: 18968: 071 15175: 13278: 11381 9484. 7587. 5690 3794 1897, SSS 09-95, The Waterford Police Department Traffic Officer Report December 2025 3. Vauxhall St. southbound south of Hickory Lane. (35 mph zone) Count 719 15096. 322 13724 785 12351 608 10979. 1259 9607, 3352 ea 7836 eae 11167 Al17. 3595 2s 690 1372, 134 30 13 2 4. A fourth sign is set up on Old Norwich Road, southbound prior to Totoket Rd. The sign is giving visual feedback, but the data cannot be accessed at this time. THE WATERFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT »K-9 Activity Report December 2025 K-9 Ozzy Monthly Uses: 2 2025 Uses: 31 K-9 Tico Monthly Uses: 2 2025 Uses: 31 K-9 Usage Ozzy e On December 14th, 2025, members of the Waterford Police Department located a vehicle that was involved in a road rage incident where an occupant displayed a firearm in East Lyme. A high risk felony stop was conducted and K9 Ozzy was de- ployed as a less lethal option if any of the occupants failed to comply. The occupants were taken into custody without inci- dent and a firearm was later located inside the vehicle. e K9 Ozzy was deployed for an open air sniff of the vehicle in- volved in the incident listed above. K9 Ozzy displayed alert behavior on the exterior of the vehicle. No measurable amounts of narcotics were located. Tico e On December 10, 2025, Officer Surdo and K9 Tico responded to assist with a motor vehicle stop where the passenger ran from the vehicle. K9 Tico was deployed for a track and locat- ed the passenger. Officer Surdo gave the passenger verbal commands to which the passenger complied and the passenger was taken into custody. e On December 20, 2025, Officer Surdo and K9 Tico assisted the East Lyme Police Department in a nar- cotics search of a vehicle. K9 Tico displayed alert behavior on multiple areas of the vehicle. An occu- pant of the vehicle was found to be in possession of “crack” cocaine and was taken into custody. Monthly Training + Monthly K-9 training was conducted on 12/2/2025 and 12/16/2025 in obedi- ence, tracking, article search, building search, area search, narcotics detections, and apprehension work. THE WATERFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT Youth Office Activity Report December 2025 ¢ SRO Malbaurn assisted the WHS administra- tive team with an investigation after two nico- tine vapes were located in school. After re- viewing the cameras the incident was handled ja. at the administrative school level. ¢ On December 12th SRO Winters and SRO Lane took part in the annual tree decorating event at the WPD. This year a first grade class from QH Elementary School made the decorations and visited Santa. ¢ SRO Lane and SRO Malbaurn both attended several boys and girls CLMS / WHS basketball games throughout December. ¢ On December 18, 2025 SRO Lane took the two Lapkowski boys to school in a police cruiser. This is an ongoing tradition. « SRO Lane assisted the Vernon PD, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security with a child pornography case. ¢ On December 28, 2025 SRO Malbaurn in- vestigated a fight involving two female stu- | dents in the lunchroom. One juvenile sum- | mons was issued and the case has been re- ferred to the juvenile review board. ¢ SRO Lane and SRO Winters collabo- Month at a Glance rated with the administrative team to host a Christmas Winter Break send- off on December 23, 2025. Members CAD Report: 1 of the Patrol Division also attended. Case Reports: 1 Home Visits: 0 Arrests: 1 / JRB Referrals: 1 SROs Lane, Malbaurn and Winters continue to meet and talk with students on a daily basis for school, personal, and social related topics in an effort to develop lasting relationships b/w the department and the youth in our community. THE WATERFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT Investigative Services Division December 2025 In the month of December 2025 the Investigative Services Division worked or assisted with 29 investigations. Current Active Investigations (28 Cases): (These numbers do not include assist’s to the Patrol Division) Homicide-1 Pistol Permits-9 Burglary-4 Skimmer—1 Robbery-0 Fraud—2 ID Theft—1 Larceny —2 Untimely—4 Stolen Vehicle—1 Child Abuse/Neglect —1 Year to Date Statistical Report Case Search Background Arrests Sex Numbers Warrants Checks Assaults 90 28 12 10 18 Phone Extract Auto Theft Burglary Unattended Robbery Deaths 9 2 7 12 1 THE WATERFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT Investigative Services Division December 2025 Updates: December 2025 Investigative Services assisted the Department of Homeland security along with State of Connecticut Major Crime with a child pornography case that stemmed from a residence in Waterford. Though the suspect is in custody and resides in a different town, it was learned that potential victims were residing in Waterford at the time. Investigative Services completed numerous undercover retail assignments in the month of December with the holiday month resulting in more shoppers. Though Investigative Services conducts many undercover retail patrols throughout the year, the holiday season is always a focus with the increase of people in our community. Detective Carroll attended a NLCFMA Battery Fire Training. This was a one day training that is a requirement in order for Detective Carroll to retain his certification as a Fire Investigator. December 2025 Investigations: Detective Carroll, while conducting an undercover retail assignment, observed a male and female subject taking part in a larceny from Home Depot. After a motor vehicle stop in which the female subject ran from the vehicle and was later apprehended, additional drug charges were added. Detective Bonkowski was assigned three untimely death investigations. These cases are still under investigation awaiting Medical Examiner results but all are not suspicious in nature. Investigator Bushwack was assigned two weapons compliance cases in the month of December. Both cases stemmed from Domestic Violence arrests in which the state then mandates all firearms be retained away from the residence for safe keeping. Investigative Services assisted patrol in completing a Risk Warrant and a Risk Protection Warrant on a male who legally possessed firearms after being transported to the hospital after having a medical episode in which his suitability to retain his firearms was deemed inappropriate. These warrants were successfully obtained by the court and the firearms were willingly handed over by the subject and his family. Detective O’Connell assisted patrol with a $10,000 larceny from F.W. Webb in which fake invoices were created from a business in Danbury and then a “taxi” service was hired to acquire the merchandise from the fake invoices resulting in the fraud. This case is still under investigation. Detective Bonkowski was assigned a child abuse case from a residence in Waterford. This originated from a Department of Children and Families report of suspected child abuse. This case will most likely result in an arrest warrant being applied for. The children are no longer residing in the home at this time. Investigative Services assisted patrol with an elderly scam of approximately $30,000. The victim purchased numerous Apple gift cards over an extended period of time for a scammer posing as an ex girlfriend. This case is still under investigation. Investigative Services assisted patrol with car breaks into vehicles parked outside Pure Barre on RTE 85. This case has become more complex with victims information being used throughout numerous jurisdictions. Investigative Services assisted Montville with a report of a juvenile sexual assault that was believed to have occurred in Waterford but was later determined to have occurred in Montville. . THE WATERFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT TRAINING REPORT DECEMBER 2025 New Officer Updates Hiring Process: The Waterford Police Department continues it’s efforts in recruiting and hiring. The agency is holding a physical agility for applicants in Jan- uary. Recruit Status: Recruit Mack is currently in Phase 4 doing 100% of the work. Re- cruit is scheduled to complete FTO Training the first week of January 2026. Recruit Holman completed her twenty first week at the Eastern Regional Police Academy hosted by the Law Enforcement Council of Connecticut. Recruit Morgan completed his twelfth week at the Connecticut Police Academy at POST-C in Meriden, CT. Trainings: Officer Donovan, Officer McComic, and Officer Jordan attended a 3-day Use of Force Summit hosted by The Daigle Law Group at Mohegan Sun Casino. The Summit consisted of nationally recognized instructors educating law enforce- ment from around the country on legal updates, best reporting processes, and hands on applications in the matter. Officer Arpin and Officer Gorman attended a week long Basic Interview and Inter- rogation hosted by BowMac Educational Services at the Hartford Police Depart- ment. This training gives officers various methods for interview and interrogation techniques to conduct non-verbal and behavioral analysis as well as verbal indica- tors that denote truth or deception. Records Activity FO! Requests 118 22% Warrants 44 42% Phone Calls 155 -14% Walk in Assists ANS VAY Background Checks i/ 33% Protective Orders 41 -7% Officer Tasking Requests 84 105% Case Erasures 25% DCF Requests 33% Court Requests 31% Abstracts 1% Video Requests 1676 Reports Accepted 237, SL CISS Arrest Packets 39 3% CSO Activity Adult Arrests Juvenile Arrests Firearms Transfers Pistol Permits Issued Walk In Complaints Support Services Report December 2025 The CSOs covered 61 shifts during the month, equating to 493 hours of shift cov- erage. CSO Carlie Robinson presented in a WHS class explaining the responsibilities of the CSO position, and assisted with a depart- ment tour. Jenna Hancock attended training on re- port redaction as part of the FOI process Our department received a large deposit of Clean Slate Erasures, in excess of 2,000, in which Records personnel have begun to process Ashley Kuvent worked with IT to secure a program for redacting audio files, to in- clude 911 calls and other recordings. Fingerprints Pistol Permits Employment Miscellaneous Peddler/Precious Permits Warrant Follow Ups Patrol Report Commissioners Activity Report December 2025 BOLO: Leads to Felony Traffic Stop On December 14, 2025 the East Lyme PD sent out a police broadcast to surrounding agencies looking for a vehicle involved in a road rage incident in which a firearm was displayed. Three minutes after the broadcast Off. McComic, Off. Donovan, and Off. Mack located the vehicle on RTE 85. It turned onto I-395 south where a felony stop was conducted. All occupants were safely taken into custody and probable cause was developed to search:the vehicle. An illegal firearm (ghost gun) was located with a high capacity magazine (30 rounds). The passenger faced firearms related charges as he did not posses a pistol permit. Off. McComic, Off: Donovan, and Off. Mack conduct a felony stop in I- 395 after an incident involving a firearm. Missing Person Located on Mamacoke Island On 12/20/25 at 2137 evening shift was sent to Benham AVE for a missing person that had suicidal ideations. A lengthy search commenced which lasted 12 hours and involved the USCG, K-9 teams, the WPD drone, ATV’s, and over 12 members of the patrol division. An emergency request was sent into Apple and an accurate GPS location of the subject's last known location on Mamacoke island was obtained. The subject was located deceased. The efforts of the WPD brought closure to the family in locating the missing person. Patrol Calls for Service Monthly Snap Shot: Total Service Calls 2827 Case Numbers 136 Arrests 46 Juvenile Arrests I Larcenies 25 Arrest Warrants 8 Domestic Violence 10 Investigations Traffic Crash 57 DUI Investigations 3 EDP/Welfare 48 Check School Checks 73 Motor Vehicle 497 Written Warnings 280 Infractions 75 Verbal Warnings 123 Misdemeanor 16 Other 3 SELF INITIATED MOTOR VEHICLE ACTIVITY BY BADGE NUMBER 112 93: wi 112 traffic stops 103: w/ 44 traffic stops 88: w/ 41 traffic stops 96: wi 21 traffic stops 102 92 97 82 91 Badge Number 93 103 88 96 99 98 $10 60 83 101 021 S15 6 Page 2 Patrol Report Officers Use Narcan at Overdose On December 13,2025 Off. Donovan and Off. McComic were dispatched to an address in Waterford for a possible drug overdose. Upon arrival officers located a 34 year old unconscious male that was taking shallow agonal breaths. After en- suring that his airway was free from obstruction, officers on scene recognized this was a possible overdose and administered 4mg of naloxone in the subject's right nostril. After several minutes of conducting sternum rubs the subject re- gained consciousness and was transported to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital for further evaluation. DV Call Leads to Arrest December 8, 2025 Off. Sabilia and Off. Colkos were dispatched to an apartment complex in Waterford, CT for an active domestic violence dispute. Upon arrival officers located a pregnant female who advised the father of her three children (who were present) had punched her in the stomach and possibly broken her arm. The female fled into a neighboring apartment and the male suspect at- tempted to break into the apartment through the window. Officers searched the immediate area and found the suspect in an adjacent unit. He was taken into custody for Assault 2nd Degree of a Pregnant Person, Risk of Injury, and Disor- derly Conduct. The victim was provided domestic violence services. Risk Order Protection / Risk Warrant Completed On December 30, 2025 Off. Krajewski received a tip from a hospital social work- er that a subject with dementia and alcohol dependence was in possession of firearms at a residence in Waterford. After an initial investigation Off. Krajewski applied for a Risk Order Protection as well as a Risk Warrant with co-affiant Bushwack. Both were signed and numerous firearms were seized from the resi- dence. A DPS-2 (revocation of pistol permit) was also completed and submitted to the State of Connecticut. THE WATERFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT Animal Control Report December 2025 ¢ The ACO’s continued to take care of Pixie and her new puppies throughout the month. Pixie was spayed thanks to the donation of funds and became 72-7 available for adoption. Her puppies will be ready for adoption in early January ¢ The ACOs and Percy participated in several com- munity events including shop with a cop, stuff a cruiser event, the stroller parade, and several other holiday events ¢ Animal Control hosted a Photos with Santa fund- raiser event in which residents brought their pets and made donations to the Non-Emergency Vet Fund, raising over $1,100 ¢ Animal Control hosted a “Puppy Snuggle Party” at Sweet Serenity Farm in Salem, Waterford ine raising over $1,000. GallettonmGenvice 63 39 After Hour Call Outs 0 4 Tickets Issued. 1 0 Warnings Issued il 0 Dog Bites 0 0 Animals Redeemed 6 2) ‘Animals Adopted De 1 Animals DOA 0 1 Huthanized 0 0 Total Processed 8 4 Money Taken In $185 $1210 (Donations $20 $1210 "Speaking for those who have no voice" WATERFORD“EAST LYME ANIMAL CONTROL YEARLY REPORT 2025 WATERFORD EAST LYME TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE 979 591 1570 AFTER HOURS CALL OUTS 38 36 74 TICKETS ISSUED 4 5 9 WARNINGS ISSUED 5 4 9 ARRESTS 0 0 0 DOG BITES 40 410 57 ANIMALS REDEEMED 65 47 112 ANIMALS ADOPTED 48 17 65 ANIMALS DOA 9 8 17 EUTHANIZED 3 3 6 ANIMALS PROCESSED TOTAL 134 75 209 TOTAL MONEY TAKEN IN $ 2795.00 S$ 4845.00 $ 7640.00 DONATIONS TAKEN IN $ 730.00 $ 4205.00 $ 4935.00 The above numbers reflect the activity of the Waterford East Lyme Animal Control for the year of 2025. The total number of animals processed through the shelter was 209, of that number only six (6) required euthanization, due to injury, illness or aggression issues. (3 aggressive dogs, 1 sick/injured dog, 2 sick/injured cats) This comes out to a 97.12% live release rate. Last year (2024) the total number of domestic animals handled was 239, this year’s number of 209 represents a 12.55% decrease. Last year (2024) the total number of complaints/calls for service was 1533, this year’s number of 1571 represents a 2.4% increase. Last year (2024) the total number of animal bites handled was 64, this year’s number of 57 represents a 10.9% decrease. Last year (2024) after hours call outs were 69, this years call outs were 74, and this represents a 7.25% increase. Animal Control Officer Robert Yuchniuk #950 Assistant Animal Control officer Allison Ryan #951 THE WATERFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT Community Engagement Report December 2025 Internship: Jacob Molloy shadowed Day Shift Patrol. Intern Molloy attended DUI Investigation Training at the Law Enforcement Council Police Academy. Intern Molloy had his exit interview with Chief Balestracci and Officer Fredricks. After multiple interviews, Caleb Cobb was selected to be the Spring Semester College Intern and Kian Gordy was selected to be the High School Intern. Interaction with Youth Services: Spoke about Drug Resistance at Youth Promise. Assistance to Youth Officers: Spoke about traffic stop safety at Rae’s Driving School. Spoke about police profiling with the Waterford High School Criminal Justice Class. Attended the Clark Lane Middle School Holiday Pep Rally and Holiday Concerts at Great Neck School and Quaker Hill School. $ SSI hie i ; ok’ K-9 Officer Hodges: Attended New London Regional Multicultural Magnet School’s Curriculum Night and the Waterford and Quaker Hill Tree Lightings. . Visited Connecticut College and Three Rivers Community College for Wellness Days. Visited the New London Superior Court and Lowe’s Improvement. Passed the Public Access Test with Puppies Behind Bars. Held Read to Hodges at the Waterford Library. Brought a donation to the Homeless Hospitality Center Stuff-a-Cruiser: Organized event where Waterford Police and Waterford Fire held a toy, clothing and food drive at Walmart. Multiple boxes of donations and $750 in gift cards were collected. Special Olympics Efforts: Working with the Waterford High School to plan a Mobile Polar Plunge in the upcoming months with their students. Interaction with Senior Services: Attended Coffee with a Vet. Organized officers to help serve at the Holiday Senior Luncheon. Officer Wellness: Organized a Wellness Day for Midnight Shift. Taught Gracie Survival Tactics at the LEC Police Academy. Shop with a First Responder: Organized event where 12 children from families in need were matched up with a First Responder (WTFD Police and 5 other first responder agencies) to buy presents for their families at Target. Domestic Violence Follow-ups: Conducted 7 follow-ups with a DV victims. Advance Services Programs: One new registrant added to the program.