Stamford Public Safety & Health Committee Meeting - October 1, 2026

The Public Safety & Health Committee of the Stamford Board of Representatives met remotely at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Chair Tom Bouchard called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. and adjourned it at 7:09 p.m. The committee reviewed two agenda items: blighted property procedures for the City of Stamford (PS32.010) and the Stamford Police Department Office of Community Engagement (PS32.011).

Attendance and Procedural Notes

• Chair Bouchard (District 1), Vice Chair Terry Adams, and Representatives Blank, Field, Gilbride, and Walston attended; Representative Ilo was excused; Representative Graham was absent; Representative Morrison was expected to dial in late.
• Chair Bouchard noted at the start that only four members were present, below quorum, but the agenda was discussion-focused, so the meeting continued. The official minutes list six members in attendance.
• The meeting was held over Zoom (Webinar ID 885 0101 0982). Attorney Vincent Freccia attended for the blighted property item; invited City representative Sean Reed could not attend.

Blighted Property Procedures (PS32.010)

• This review item was submitted by Rep. Adams on 07/08/2026. The agenda record shows it was previously recommitted to the Steering Committee on 07/30/2026 by a 6-0-0 vote.
• Chair Bouchard explained that the item had been carried over from a July meeting that was cut short due to a technical issue, and that Sean Reed was unable to provide the expected critical insight.
• A motion to recommit the item to Steering was made, seconded, and approved by a vote of 5-0-0 (Chair Bouchard, Vice Chair Adams, and Reps. Field, Gilbride, and Walston in favor).

Stamford Police Department Office of Community Engagement (PS32.011)

• This review item was submitted by Rep. Bouchard on 09/10/2026. Capt. Gene Dohmann presented an overview. He said he has served with the Stamford Police Department for 46 years, with earlier assignments in narcotics, West Side district command, patrol, internal affairs, special victims, the youth bureau, and the Behavioral Health Unit.
• He stated that his primary focus is safety through relationships. He cited examples: after a pedestrian fatality at Progress Street and Stillwater, he worked with city tree foreman Ron Markey to clear crosswalk markings that had been obscured by trees; on Delaware Avenue behind the Boys and Girls Club, a dedicated towing officer removed abandoned vehicles, with four towed and three more scheduled.
• Rep. Adams thanked Dohmann and asked him to look at a food truck near the Stillwater/Merrill Avenue crosswalk that creates a blind spot during afternoon hours; Dohmann agreed to inspect it and speak with the vendor.
• Rep. Walston praised Dohmann as a valuable resource and described a constituent whose family member received help through Dohmann's referral to the Behavioral Health Unit. Rep. Adams also recounted a mental health case helped by the Mentor team.
• Rep. Fields asked what the Board or committee could do to help Dohmann. Dohmann said it was a unique question and he would think about it and respond.
• Rep. Blank, referencing the city's Vision Zero effort and unsafe scooter/delivery riders, asked about a proposed New York City-style ordinance requiring delivery vehicles and scooters to be more visible. Dohmann called the concept a good deterrent but said enforcement is difficult because riders and drivers keep moving and police will not chase them; he recommended traffic squad Sgt. Jeff Booth review any draft ordinance.
• Dohmann said community engagement covers the whole city, including schools. He described community policing as central to the department's approach, with staffing currently around 290 officers and a high of about 315; higher staffing would let Chief Shaw assign more officers to dedicated community policing. He also mentioned technology such as cameras, a drone unit, and a fusion center that monitors street and school cameras.
• Dohmann highlighted upcoming outreach events, including trunk-or-treat that weekend and a Faith in Blue weekend around October 18-20 at Cove Island Park; he directed members to the PD website for details.
• On Rep. Fields' questions about leaf pile fines, heavily tinted windows, and Park Police jurisdiction, Dohmann said police are not typically involved in leaf enforcement and he did not know who issues those fines, offered to discuss it offline, said he would check whether tinted-window summonses have increased, and explained that Park Police operations fall under the Patrol Division rather than his office.

Key Outcomes

• PS32.010 was recommitted to the Steering Committee by a 5-0-0 vote so the review can be rescheduled when Sean Reed can participate.
• PS32.011 was an informational report/review; no vote was taken on it.
• The committee voted by voice to conclude the discussion and journal the meeting.
• Follow-ups include Dohmann inspecting the food truck blind spot, checking tinted-window enforcement, reviewing a possible scooter/delivery visibility ordinance, and sharing community event information. The committee plans to resume the blighted property discussion at a future meeting.