Common Council

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 Special Meeting A community meeting of the Common Council of the City of Middletown was held in the Media Room at Snow School, Wadsworth Street, on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 7 p.m. Present Deputy Mayor Joseph E. Bibisi, Council Members Philip J. Pessina, Deborah A. Kleckowski, David Bauer; Sergeant-at-Arms Acting Chief of Police Patrick McMahon, and Council Clerk Marie O. Norwood. Absent Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano, Council Members Thomas J. Serra, Ronald P. Klattenberg, Gerald E. Daley, Robert P. Santangelo, Grady L. Faulkner, Jr., Hope P. Kasper, James B. Streeto, Daniel Drew, and Corporation Counsel William Howard. Also Present one members of the public Meeting Called to Order The Deputy Mayor calls the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. and leads the public in the Pledge of Allegiance. Call of Meeting Read The Call of Meeting was read and accepted. Deputy Mayor Bibisi declares the Call a Legal Call and the Meeting a Legal Meeting. Public Comment Opens The Acting Chair opens public comment on items under the jurisdiction of the Common Council at 7:03 p.m. Point of Personal Privilege Councilman Bauer asks for a point of personal privilege; there is not one single member of the Democratic majority in attendance and personally that signifies that this listening meeting they insisted on, I ask if they think it is a failure by their abject lack of attendance. Sal Caracoglia as he said at the last community meeting I made comments in regard to letters received from Internal Affairs that botched the investigation and again they over looked all the evidence. I gave them clear evidence of the problem and he received another letter from a police officer that there was an Internal Affair. Officer Brian White lied under oath and he is not making accusations lightly and knows for a fact he lied. He does not know the code of the Police Department, but looks like they protect their own members. Lying under oath is outrageous. Acting Chair Bibisi states Councilman Daley recommended an investigative committee and we were waiting for your report and understand it is now complete and ask you hand it to the clerk and we will send it to the proper committee. Mr. Caracoglia states in his summary he is not making a wild accusation. As you know I was exercising my first amendment right and I posted by signs and Ms Santangelo said I couldn’t and accused me of character assassination and she denied it and when we go to trial many things happen. I thought I was defending myself on what happened and Officer White accused me that he saw me hitting Ms Santangelo, slapping her hands and then he gave me a citation on 12:31 p.m. on that day. When I supposedly go over the transcript there is another witness Mr. Calabrese. The prosecutor created a nonexistent incident and a Machiavellian plan to prove his theory in court. We have the police statements and Mr. Calabrese said the dispute started at 12:30 and Ms Santangelo said 12:26 and their testimony changed in court and said the dispute started at 12:00 and that he posted two rows of fliers and covered the entire kiosk. He kept changing the number of signs. I want to say they are all lying and Ms Santangelo testifies that she came out and her car is parked in back. She says now it is 12:26 and Mr. Calabrese at 12:30. None of them had the same story. After the incident and while Mrs. Santangelo came in contact with me and I removed her hand and later she denies I removed her hand and I warned her she was violating my first amendment right and she tells me she will call the cops and I tell her do so. She calls them at 12:13; she makes a call to police and hopes her husband will be there and I heard on the speaker phone and the policeman said there is no law about hanging up fliers on public property. She said she wanted an officer to come. He waited from 12:15 to 12:30 a 20 minute gap; they have two minutes to appear on the scene when there is a call. At 12:26 she makes a call to the dispatch center when she said the dispute started and what happens is Officer White arrives at 12:33, he is dispatched at 12:31. He comes and accuses me that I slapped Mrs. Santangelo’s hand. I asked him where he was because the dispute was over for 20 minutes ago. After five minutes, he gives me a ticket and we will go to court. Now the second incident, Mr. Calabrese is a witness for her and the Officer is a September 8, 2011 Common Council Meeting Page 2 witness for her in the second incident and I did not realize this and from the question I gave him they were not going to make a fool out of me, I placed very specific questions. Acting Chair Bibisi states he is confused; who are you talking to. Mr. Caracoglia states I am in court. The Acting Chair states we heard this before. Mr. Caracoglia states he asks for the report from dispatch and the specific. Mrs. Santangelo, in court they do not mention anything about 911 calls. Councilman Pessina states the Deputy Mayor told you that you were going to hand in your results and it will go to Marie and will send it forward to Councilman Daley and the Police Commission and from listening to you this is exactly how you have to present it to the investigating committee. But tonight’s meeting is not for that because two of us are part of the Public Safety Committee and we will assign the committee and go step by step. Mr. Caracoglia states he is doing this because he doesn’t want anyone to make mistakes who is taking the minutes and if not correct, I have a chance to correct. Officer White outright said a lie and because of his lies. . . The Acting Chair states you have accused him several times at this meeting and other meetings and she has that. He continues you have the report, hand to Marie and go through the process; the two members are here and they will process it. You are wasting time here. Mr. Caracoglia responds I am not. He asks for five minutes. Officer White said I slapped her and so did the article and Mrs. Santangelo denies that and when he testifies, she says I hit her arm and Officer White changes his testimony from slapping her hand to hitting her arm. Mr. Calabrese states I grabbed her shirt squeezed and pushed her. How can there be three different statements with three different witnesses. Councilman Pessina asks if it was given to the Police Chief. Mr. Caracoglia responds yes. I will pursue this to the end. There is no way the lying of the Officer did not have an adverse effect on the decision of the judge. The Acting Police Chief states for the record: Will the Council seriously consider investigating the Police Department and follow a specialized committee. Acting Chair Bibisi states Councilman Daley made the recommendation that it will go to the Police Commission and they will make a decision on whether to do a committee or not. Acting Chief McMahon asks does the Council know that it did and they voted no. Councilman Pessina states that there was no report and we based it on the fact that he said there was no report completed. The Acting Chief states for the record, I would like to know what allegations are being made against the Department and the Public Safety Commission was going to look at and he is curious what the Department was alleged to do. The Acting Chair states we don’t know until the report is read. Acting Chief McMahon states what is it Public Safety wants on the agenda so that it cannot be voted down on the agenda and 3 of the 5 voted no. Councilman Pessina stated because there was no report. The Acting Chief would like to know the wording on the agenda. The Acting Chair states you will have the report based on recommendation of Councilman Daley. Acting Chief McMahon states whatever the Council wants, it will go out to Public Safety; he asks the Clerk to send a copy to his office Councilman Bauer states that these meetings are more relaxed, so the give and take has past practice. Motion to Adjourn Councilman Pessina moves to adjourn and Councilwoman Kleckowski seconds. The Acting Chair declares the meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m. ATTEST: MARIE O. NORWOOD Common Council Clerk