Danbury ad hoc committee sends ordinance to public hearing to allow permanent residents and DACA recipients to apply for police jobs

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 in 2025, and the department would keep existing background and fitness screens in place.

“We changed the regulations back in 2020 for permanent residents and then extended that to DACA in 2025,” Chief Ridenhauer said. “What we're looking for is just to make sure that we have the best qualified candidates for the police department.”

Committee members pressed presenters on several implementation concerns. HR Director Ginny Werner and assistant director of finance Tara Prenti said the city would continue to perform Social Security traces, background investigations, psychological evaluations and polygraphs as part of vetting. Werner said those procedures would not change for applicants who are permanent residents or DACA recipients.

“There's no lowering of any standards for eligibility,” Werner said.

Firearm policy and retention: Members asked whether DACA recipients would be allowed to carry firearms off duty. Chief Ridenhauer said the department currently authorizes officers to carry off duty but does not require it; he characterized any requirement that DACA recipients carry off duty as a bridge too far and said department practice would not be altered by the ordinance.

“For a DACA recipient, yes [they would have to leave a weapon at work under current interpretations], not for permanent legal residents,” the chief said in the exchange. The committee discussed whether department policy would need revision if the city wanted to allow or restrict off‑duty carry; Chief Ridenhauer noted the department could change policy but did not recommend requiring off‑duty carry.

Legal and long-term risks: Council members raised the possibility that DACA’s federal status could be invalidated by courts. Assistant corporation counsel Tracy Norris said the legal question is unresolved and acknowledged that a future adverse ruling could affect an officer’s eligibility.

“If the federal status changed, unfortunately that could affect an officer’s ability to serve,” Norris said, while also characterizing that possibility as a minimal concern at present.

Mayor Alves urged the council to approve the change, calling it a necessary tool for recruitment and defending DACA recipients’ contributions in other fields. “This is a recruitment tool,” Alves said. “We should embrace them. We should encourage them to do that.” The mayor also asked colleagues to avoid racialized rhetoric during debate.

What’s next: The committee approved by voice vote a motion to send the amended ordinance to a public hearing; the full city council will consider the ordinance at a subsequent committee-of-the-whole meeting after public comment. No changes to the ordinance’s substantive hiring standards were adopted in committee; the action advances public review and further deliberation.

Officials and speakers (first reference shown) include: Chair Joe Burton; Chief Patrick Ridenhauer; Deputy Chief Mike Sturvin; Mayor Alves; HR Director Ginny Werner; Assistant Director of Finance Tara Prenti; Taylor O’Brien, chief of staff; Tracy Norris, assistant corporation counsel; council members Andrea Gardner, Peter Bizaid, Ben Czaid and Peter Darnall.

The ad hoc adjourned after the voice vote.