Middletown police report rise in Part I crimes and staffing gaps; commission accepts personnel probe and moves to executive session

Middletown — At a Thursday meeting, Police Chief reported a month-over-month increase in Part I crimes and detailed staffing shortages, training and recruitment efforts, and several active investigations, while the Board of Commissioners voted to accept an internal personnel investigation and then entered executive session to discuss personnel matters.

The chief told the commission, “We handled 2,885 calls for service” in July and said the department recorded 46 Part I crimes that month, up from 31 the previous month. “In July, we handled 46 part 1 crimes, which equates to about a 46% increase,” the chief said. He said 12 of those were violent crimes and 34 were property crimes.

Why it matters: the figures accompany ongoing operational pressures the department said it is addressing through recruitments, an upcoming police academy class and internal staffing changes. Commissioners approved acceptance of a personnel complaint investigation the chief presented and then moved into a closed executive session on personnel.

The chief reported other July figures, including 283 arrests (up from 240 in June) and eight uses-of-force incidents, which he said represented about 2.8% of total arrests. Traffic summonses and parking ticket counts were reported as slightly down and up, respectively. He also noted one reported shots-fired incident tied to the arrest of Terry Williamson on charges including false reporting and criminal possession of a weapon; the chief said investigators concluded Williamson staged a robbery and that video contradicted his account.

The chief described several active criminal matters: an ongoing investigation into a shots-fired event near Switch In (arrests and follow-up work remain), and an arrest in a stabbing on 47 Underhill Road where the suspect was charged with attempted murder. He also said an Aug. 9 accident involving a police vehicle is the subject of an internal investigation, and that the narcotics unit’s recent operation, described as “Operation Powder Burn,” remains an outstanding joint investigation.

On staffing, the chief said the department currently has six vacancies and expects a seventh when Officer Mike Rivera retires “effective the 29th” after about 20 years of service. He said one officer is on maternity leave and another is deployed with the National Guard. Officer Barnes has returned to full duty after medical clearance, the chief said.

Recruitment and training updates: the chief said the next police academy start date has shifted to Nov. 17, 2025, and that the department administered a physical agility test to 28 candidates drawn from recent lists; 12 appeared for the test and eight passed. “So right now out of the 8 people that did pass the agility, 3 are certified police officers,” the chief said, noting the department hopes upcoming test dates will expand the candidate pool to fill current and projected openings.

He asked the commission to consider moving the October meeting from Oct. 16 to Oct. 23 to allow more time for background checks and to schedule interviews; commissioners agreed provisionally.

The department also completed a hiring process for a dispatch vacancy and will start Natalie Torres, a resident, as a dispatcher on Sept. 8, the chief said. He outlined recent and planned trainings — including emergency vehicle operation and AT/UTV training — and listed community events including the junior police academy graduation at Mount Carmel, a back-to-school barbecue Sept. 6 and a kids-day celebration Sept. 27 at the Recreation and Parks building.

Personnel complaint and executive session: the chief presented an internal personnel complaint (file number MPD22000625), filed by Raymond Glover and dated June 19, 2025. The chief told commissioners the complaint was “exonerated” and “determined to be a civil issue.” Commissioner Mills moved to accept the investigation “as written,” a motion seconded by Commissioner Cantoli; the motion carried with all present voting in favor. Mayor DeStefano then moved to enter executive session to discuss personnel matters; the motion was seconded and the meeting proceeded into closed session at 4:50 p.m.

The chief closed his report by noting the department and administrative team are working on the town’s 2026 budget and will forward materials to the commission when available.