Board of Public Safety

Approved by the Board of Public Safety MINUTES August 6, 2025 Vol. 7, Page 642 BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY Vote: Unanimous REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom May 7, 2025 A REGULAR MEETING of the Board of Public Safety was held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Attendance was in person and by Zoom. Present at the City Hall Auditorium were Mayor Elinor Carbone, Commissioners Tylar Young, Joe McElroy, Doug Benedetto, and Darlene Battle, Deputy Police Chief Bart Barown, Fire Chief Eric Borden, Deputy Fire Chief David Tripp, and Trinity Health EMS Manager Jeff Ganung, Deputy Comptroller and Manager of Budgets Erika Johnson, Torringford Volunteer Fire Department (TVFD) Commissioner Jim Potter, and Drakeville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tomasz Kalinowski. No one joined via Zoom. Commissioners Glenn McLeod, Gregg Cogswell, and Police Chief William Baldwin were absent. Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m., beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comment On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public. No one from the public wished to speak. Accept Minutes On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Regular Meeting Minutes from April 2, 2025. Police Department – Completion of Probationary Period On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to accept Officer Wesley Clifford as a regular member of the Torrington Police Department after completing his probationary period effective April 3, 2025. Commissioner Benedetto asked how the Officers were doing, Deputy Chief Barown said they are both doing good. On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to accept Officer Domenic Boscarino as a regular member of the Torrington Police Department after completing his probationary period effective April 23, 2025. TABLED: Presentation – Public Safety Complex On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to table the presentation of the final feasibility report for the proposed Public Safety Complex, as presented by Facilities Director Jamie Sykora and Silver Petrucelli & Associates. Executive Session On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to enter into executive session pursuant to C.G.S. §1-200(6)(a) regarding personnel promotions for the Fire Department, inviting in Fire Chief Borden and Deputy Fire Chief Tripp, at 6:37 p.m. Open Session On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to go into open session at 6:47 p.m. Vote – Fire Department Personnel On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Battle, the Board voted unanimously to promote Aaron Picz to Lieutenant effective May 11, 2025. On a motion by Commissioner McElroy, seconded by Commissioner Benedetto, the Board voted unanimously to promote Brian Ball to Front Line Driver effective May 11, 2025. Police Department Reports On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to accept Police Chief Baldwin’s reports for March 2025. Commissioner Benedetto asked about the unpaid parking fines, since the balance is $420,000, Deputy Chief Barown said that Sergeant Baldis is working on them, and newer parking tickets are tied to the DMV database for car registration. Commissioner Benedetto asked about upcoming grants, and Deputy Chief Barown said they have the rural roads speed grant, the DWI grant for the entire year, and will soon be starting the distracted driving and click it or ticket. Deputy Barown said that from March 1, 2025, through May 5, 2025, there have been 345 stops within the City with 173 infractions issued. Commissioner Benedetto asked how many Officer openings there are, Deputy Chief Barown said they are at 71 Officers. Commissioner Benedetto asked why the overtime is still going up if we are adding Officers, Deputy Chief Barown said they had training that every Officer was required to go to, and it was only offered for two days, which drove up overtime. MINUTES Vol. 7, Page 643 BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom May 7, 2025 Fire Department Reports On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to accept Fire Chief Borden’s reports for March 2025. Commissioner Benedetto asked for an update on the 5-year plan, Chief Borden said the beginning of winter. Commissioner McElroy asked what has been done in the last 30 days to get Torringford going, Chief Borden said they are waiting for the lawyers and Corporation Counsel to get together. Commissioner McElroy said he wants to ensure that stuff is getting done and moving forward. EMS Provider Reports On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McLeod, the Board voted unanimously to accept the EMS Provider Activity reports for March 2025. Commissioner Benedetto asked if there had been any contact between the ambulance and the Fire Department, Mr. Ganung said they don’t have any communication between the ambulance and the Fire Department, other than through LCD. TABLED: Business by the Policy Subcommittee On a motion by Commissioner McElroy, seconded by Commissioner Young, the Board voted unanimously to table business by the Board of Safety Policy Subcommittee. Business by Volunteer Fire Departments On a motion by Commissioner McElroy, seconded by Commissioner Benedetto, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Volunteer Fire Departments. Drakeville VFD Chief Kalinowski congratulated Firefighters Picz and Ball on their promotions. He provided the Board with updates from his department. Commissioner Benedetto asked if DVFD has been providing mutual aid to other towns, and how much since the beginning of the year, Chief Kalinowski said he would get those figures for the Board. TVFD Commissioner Jim Potter said they have met with their attorney and created a proposal, there will be a meeting in the future to discuss the proposal. He said items have been donated from TVFD to the City and Drakeville. Mayor Carbone added that these are the initial terms which she received on Thursday; she met with Corporation Counsel on Friday and Chief Borden on Tuesday. She said they want this property and East End coverage, but not without doing their due diligence. Business by Department Heads On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McElroy, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by Department Heads. Police Chief Baldwin, Fire Chief Borden, and EMS Manager Jeff Ganung gave the latest updates from their departments. Battalion Chief Doyle expressed concern over the absence of a consistent fire department presence on the East End of the City, citing its negative impact on response times. He pointed to the recent call at Target and the subsequent East Main fire as examples, noting that because crews were already nearby, they responded quickly. Doyle also voiced frustration with budget cuts, stating they impair the department’s ability to manage major incidents, such as the Wall Street fire, where a rapid intervention team is essential. He recommended establishing at least a temporary daytime unit at Torringford, citing its high call volume and strategic importance. He warned that if the Wall Street fire had occurred on the East End, where coverage is limited, the outcome could have been significantly worse. Business by Mayor & Members On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McElroy, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Mayor and Members of the Board of Public Safety. Commissioner Battle congratulated Lieutenant Picz and Firefighter Ball on their promotions. She mentioned that she also had to read about the Wall Street fire and would like better communication with the Fire Department. Commissioner Benedetto congratulated Lieutenant Picz and Firefighter Ball on their promotions. He reiterated that he is disappointed with the lack of communication with the Fire Department and the Board of Public Safety. Commissioner McElroy reassured the taxpayers that the City is working to get coverage at the East End of town. He said that Firefighter recruitment is down 61%. Commissioner Young said there needs to be better communication from the Fire Department, and that it is critical to stay in the loop. He said the Police Department does a great job of communicating. MINUTES Vol. 7, Page 644 BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom May 7, 2025 Adjournment On a motion by Commissioner Benedetto, seconded by Commissioner McElroy, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 7:22 p.m. Respectfully submitted by ATTEST: Heather Abraham, Asst. City Clerk CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK