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Norwalk police commission approves retirement plan and promotes patrol sergeant; minutes accepted as corrected
Summary
The Norwalk Board of Police Commissioners unanimously approved corrections to meeting minutes, a DROP retirement plan for Officer Steve Yeager and the promotion of Officer Kevin Schoenthal to sergeant, with the promotion effective Feb. 27, 2025.
The Norwalk Board of Police Commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 24 to approve corrected minutes from Jan. 27, to accept a deferred retirement option plan for Officer Steve Yeager and to promote Officer Kevin Schoenthal to the rank of sergeant.
The action came during the board's regular meeting at which Mayor Rilling and five commissioners were present. The minutes were approved “as corrected” after a series of line-item edits were read into the record.
Deputy Chief Lepore explained that Officer Steve Yeager qualified for the DROP plan based on his service record and that payroll paperwork was completed; the plan is to begin May 1, 2025, with Yeager’s service to end April 30, 2030. "He began his career in April fourth of 1996," Deputy Chief Lepore said when describing eligibility and service dates.
Commissioner Paladino moved the motion to accept Yeager’s DROP plan; the commission recorded unanimous approval. The commission also unanimously approved the promotion of Officer Kevin Schoenthal to fill the sergeant position vacated by Sergeant Tom Fern. Commissioners said Schoenthal finished first on the sergeant’s exam; the promotion was recorded as taking effect Feb. 27, 2025, with a swearing-in scheduled at Police Headquarters the following week. The chair said the precise swearing-in time would be clarified with staff, after commissioners noted a discrepancy in the stated hour.
Votes at a glance: minutes approval — motion carries (unanimous); Officer Steve Yeager DROP plan — approved (unanimous); promotion of Officer Kevin Schoenthal to sergeant — approved (unanimous). The meeting adjourned by unanimous voice vote.
The commission did not record roll-call votes by name for these motions in the transcript; outcomes are recorded as unanimous voice votes in the meeting minutes.
Clarifying details noted at the meeting — including line corrections to the Jan. 27 minutes and the effective date for the promotion — were accepted into the record before votes were called. The commission directed staff to confirm the swearing-in time publicly once finalized.
