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Police commission appoints Jesse Sowalik as animal control officer and adopts updated ALPR policy
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Summary
The Simsbury Police Commission voted to employ Jesse Sowalik as animal control officer effective April 27, 2026, and approved revisions to general orders including a restriction on sharing ALPR data outside Connecticut until the vendor aligns with the state model policy.
The Simsbury Police Commission voted to hire Jesse Sowalik as the town’s animal control officer, with employment set to begin April 27, 2026, and adopted two updated general orders, including a new policy on automated license plate recognition (ALPR) data sharing.
Chief (S2) recommended Sowalik based on her associate degree in animal science, more than 11 years’ experience as a veterinary technician and her state certification as an animal control officer since 2021. "I think her work experience, her personality, and character align with the mission of our police department," the chief said, describing the candidate’s background in Hartford, Wethersfield and other towns and praising her community-outreach plans.
Chairperson (S1) moved the commission into executive session to discuss the candidate. After returning, the chair moved to employ Sowalik with a start date of 04/27/2026; the motion was seconded and the commission voted in favor. Commissioners welcomed Sowalik and invited her to remain for the remainder of the meeting’s policy discussion.
On departmental policy, the commission adopted General Order 11-2, which will replace General Order 16-1. Commissioners discussed the publication status of general orders and confirmed that while some are posted on the department website, others are not yet published publicly.
The commission also approved proposed General Order 41-2, governing the department’s ALPR use and data-sharing. The chief explained that the vendor Flock’s current popup acknowledgement does not fully match the state POST model policy and Connecticut law; as an interim measure, the department will stop sharing ALPR data with jurisdictions outside Connecticut until the vendor’s interface and assurances align with the model policy. “So until they do that, what we have decided to do is stop sharing with jurisdictions outside of Connecticut, and they can just re-request to us that they want to have access to the data,” the chief said, explaining the department will send its policy to outside jurisdictions that request access and move the toggle to grant access only after receiving a signed affirmation of compliance.
Commissioners noted that quarterly audits of ALPR access are built into the vendor software and that a lieutenant administrator pulls usage reports on a more frequent basis. The commission voted to adopt the changes to General Order 41-2.
The meeting record shows motions and recorded unanimous voice votes to approve the March 9, 2026 minutes, adopt General Order 11-2, adopt General Order 41-2, and to employ Jesse Sowalik as animal control officer. Specific roll-call tallies were not read into the record.
