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Danbury ad hoc committee sends ordinance to public hearing to allow permanent residents and DACA recipients to apply for police jobs
Summary
The ad hoc committee voted to send an amended police-eligibility ordinance to a public hearing after officials said the change would align city rules with the state Police Officer Standards and Training Council and broaden the candidate pool to include permanent legal residents and DACA recipients. Committee members raised questions about vetting, off‑duty gun policy and legal risk if DACA’s federal status changes.
The Danbury City Council ad hoc committee voted Tuesday to send amended language on police hiring eligibility to a public hearing, a step toward aligning the city’s ordinance with the state Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council and allowing permanent legal residents and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients to be considered for probationary police appointments.
Chair Joe Burton told the committee the proposed changes would update ordinances 22-19 through 22-30 so local rules “didn’t prevent good candidates from applying” and would mirror POST guidance on eligibility. The motion to send the amendment to a public hearing, followed by consideration by the committee of the whole, passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: City officials and the police chief said the revision is primarily a recruitment tool intended to broaden the pool of qualified applicants without reducing hiring standards. Chief Patrick Ridenhauer said the state council first extended eligibility to permanent residents in 2020 and added DACA recipients…
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