EAST HAVEN, Conn. -- Police Department leaders are doing their best to change the agency's image, and that effort continued Wednesday as officials met with about 20 business representatives.
Business leaders were invited to Fire Department Co. 3 for a lunchtime discussion on the settlement agreement between the town and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Police Lt. Ed Lennon, who gave the presentation, explained what the consent agreement with the federal government means for the community and Police Department.
The accord stems from allegations of racial profiling by local police. Four officers were arrested Jan. 24, 2012, after a two-year investigation by the FBI and Justice Department into alleged profiling and mistreatment of Latinos in town.
"The entire agreement is important. There's not one thing that's more important than the other," Lennon said.
The consent decree is broken down into several areas, including: updating policy procedures, additional training, performing community engagement, use of force searches, and how police conduct their business, Lennon said.
Officers will receive between 40 and 50 hours of training in the first year, while senior officers may undergo 80 hours.
"The officers are engaged. They have a great buy in," Lennon told business leaders. "They want to get the best training possible, so they're excited about it."
Lennon said meeting with local business leaders matches the department's goals of community outreach.
"We don't want to think we're just behind the four walls of our building doing our job," Lennon said. "We want the officers out of their squad cars. We want them involved."
Police Lt. David Emerman, community liaison officer, said the department plans on holding monthly meetings where the public can interact with police on a less official, friendlier basis.
Julio Crespo, owner of Barra's Cafe, a restaurant patronized predominantly by Latinos, said he's already seen positive change.
Three years ago, he said, Latinos were intimidated by police. Crespo said they wouldn't talk to law enforcement agents and would sometimes literally flee at their sight.
Crespo said things are different now. Beginning about five months ago, and especially in the last two months, there's been "a huge change" in the behavior of his patrons toward police presence. They aren't afraid, he said, and will openly approach police to talk.
And, Crespo said, vice versa.
"I've seen officers stop and speak with my patrons, just to talk with them for no reason," Crespo said. "Just to get to know them."
When asked if that was something he would have seen three years ago, Crespo said, "God no."
Emerman said, including himself, the department has four officers fluent in Spanish. He said increasing the department's ability to communicate is key in its reinvention.
Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. said, "You can't do things like this on a consistent basis and not have (something) positive come from it."
Kathleen M. O'Toole, of O'Toole Associates LLC based in Massachusetts, is the independent arbiter acting to ensure the town lives up to the Justice settlement.
O'Toole said she was excited to be working on something "so doable." She said she wants to have an active role in reform.
"At the end of the day, it's all about going out there, engaging with members of the community," O'Toole said.
Copyright 2013 - New Haven Register, Conn.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
