Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Accessibility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Norwalk resident urges Police Commission to improve public access and review expired union contract
Summary
During public comment, resident John Levin said meeting times and lack of commissioner contact information make the commission inaccessible and urged review of the police union collective bargaining agreement, which he said has been expired for seven months.
John Levin, a Norwalk resident, used the Jan. 27 Norwalk Police Commission public-comment period to urge the commission to make itself more accessible and to review the police union collective bargaining agreement.
Levin said he has been the only member of the public to appear before the commission during 2024 and suggested the Monday 4:15 p.m. meeting time is inconvenient for people with daytime jobs or child care responsibilities. He asked that the commission consider publishing an email address for each commissioner so residents can contact them directly; he said he requested that change through the commission website beginning in mid-September and received only acknowledgement that the request would be shared.
Levin also raised the status of the police union contract, saying it expired seven months earlier and that he was surprised the commission had not discussed it at recent meetings. He asked commissioners to review Appendix A of the union agreement, citing requirements for providing notice before random drug testing that Levin described as problematic.
Mayor Rilling and the chair reminded Levin that public comment is not a question-and-answer period and limited his remarks to the allotted time. Levin exceeded the stated three-minute allotment by roughly one minute before the chair moved on to the next agenda item.
