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Record of Proceedings

Public Works Commission Meeting (Police Department Report) - April 13, 2026

Common Council & Commissions — Monday, April 13, 2026
BodyMiddletown, Connecticut
SessionCommon Council & Commissions
DateMonday, April 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 16:18

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0:01

Okay.

0:02

Because I'm eating pizza.

0:04

So you don't need to see me chew.

0:08

Okay.

0:09

Sounds good.

0:12

Okay.

0:13

Been a rough day.

0:15

Yeah.

0:18

So let's go first, Chief.

0:21

Exactly.

0:21

So all right.

0:26

Welcome everybody to the public works commission meeting.

0:29

Yeah.

0:30

For uh Monday.

0:33

It is March 16th.

0:36

I call the meeting to order at 6.32.

0:39

And this is for the police department.

0:43

Right.

0:44

First on the agenda is just the approval of the minutes for February.

0:50

Well, was it we had a special meeting minutes?

0:53

Right?

0:53

Sorry, I don't.

0:54

I'm just looking for the agenda now.

0:56

So make sure we get this right.

1:00

Okay.

1:02

Sorry, y'all.

1:08

No, it was posted, yes.

1:27

Here we go.

1:32

All right.

1:33

Sorry about that.

1:35

Yes.

1:36

So we did have a now, Chief, we had a special meeting.

1:41

It was it on March 6th.

1:44

I think it's the 5th.

1:46

It's the fifth.

1:50

Did you have back at the minutes there?

1:57

I didn't believe it was on the sixth, but if it was, that's what we have on the agenda.

2:02

It's the fifth.

2:03

All right.

2:03

So just uh if it's okay with the commission, uh just uh Scrivener's era, the minutes are for March 5th, 2025, not March 6th.

2:13

If we could approve those minutes, need a motion.

2:16

I'll make a motion to approve the minutes from March 5th, 2026.

2:21

Okay.

2:22

All right, thank you.

2:22

Any discussion?

2:25

All right.

2:25

Hearing done.

2:26

All in all in favor.

2:28

Hi.

2:28

Hi.

2:29

Any opposed?

2:30

Any abstentions?

2:31

Okay.

2:31

Matter passes.

2:32

Next on the agenda uh is public hearing for matters on the agenda only.

2:36

Uh there's no one here in 208.

2:38

Uh you have to excuse me for a second.

2:41

Camera might move.

2:43

Have to check to see if there's anybody.

2:46

Um I do not see anyone online at this time.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety██████████████████████████████████████38%
Personnel Matters████████████████████████████████32%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Technology and Innovation███████████11%
Summary of Proceedings

Public Works Commission Meeting (Police Department Report) - April 13, 2026

The Public Works Commission met on April 13, 2026, at 6:32 PM. The meeting focused on a report from Police Chief Costa covering department operations, budget, community outreach, and technology initiatives. No public comments were received.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The commission approved the minutes of the special meeting from March 5, 2026, after correcting the date (originally listed as March 6, 2025). The motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public were present either in person or online. The chair opened and closed the public hearing portion.

Discussion Items

  • Chief Costa's Report:
    • Promotions and Awards: Announced a swearing-in ceremony and awards event scheduled for April 6, 2026, at Beaman Middle School. Promotions include Captain Derek Piero, Captain Aura Smith, Lieutenant Zlewski, Lieutenant Michael Thompson, Sergeants Austin Smith and Arroyo.
    • Crime Statistics: Reported a 30% crime rate reduction over the past two years.
    • Budget: Overtime balance stands at $65,000 remaining in the replacement line; expects to go into deficit next month. Upgrading sidearm firearms after 10 years; training overtime may push budget into the red.
    • Community Outreach: Highlighted social media presence, Read Across America, DARE program (Officer Murphy), Bear program, and Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics at Crystal Lake.
    • Homeless Outreach: Officer Jesse Sances Stefano leads downtown ownership patrol, addressing homelessness and opioid services, working with Columbus House.
    • Incident Reports: 4,600 incidents last month; focusing on curbing vandalism and destruction of property downtown.
    • Accountability: Drug testing (20% of agency notified), body cameras and in-car cameras up to date. Exploring "First Sign" early intervention system (estimated cost $20,000–$25,000) to identify officers with complaints or issues.
    • Technology: IT department working on Power BI and Next Gen projects to make crime data publicly interactive on the city website (estimated cost $45,000). Also rebuilding the private duty rotation list.
    • Ordinance Update: General Counsel passed an ordinance regarding private duty rates to the Common Council for vote. The FLOP contract is being reviewed with a target completion of April or May.
  • Commissioner questions clarified that Power BI and Next Gen are separate but require integration.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes from the March 5, 2026, special meeting.
  • Chief Costa's report was received; no formal votes taken on budget or technology items.
  • The meeting adjourned at 6:47 PM.

Note: The transcript of this meeting contained references to March 2025 and March 2026 dates, but the official meeting date provided is April 13, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. Because I'm eating pizza. So you don't need to see me chew. Okay. Sounds good. Okay. Been a rough day. Yeah. So let's go first, Chief. Exactly. So all right. Welcome everybody to the public works commission meeting. Yeah. For uh Monday. It is March 16th. I call the meeting to order at 6.32. And this is for the police department. Right. First on the agenda is just the approval of the minutes for February. Well, was it we had a special meeting minutes? Right? Sorry, I don't. I'm just looking for the agenda now. So make sure we get this right. Okay. Sorry, y'all. No, it was posted, yes. Here we go. All right. Sorry about that. Yes. So we did have a now, Chief, we had a special meeting. It was it on March 6th. I think it's the 5th. It's the fifth. Did you have back at the minutes there? I didn't believe it was on the sixth, but if it was, that's what we have on the agenda. It's the fifth. All right. So just uh if it's okay with the commission, uh just uh Scrivener's era, the minutes are for March 5th, 2025, not March 6th. If we could approve those minutes, need a motion. I'll make a motion to approve the minutes from March 5th, 2026. Okay. All right, thank you. Any discussion? All right. Hearing done. All in all in favor. Hi. Hi.

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