By Sarah Opdahl

On Monday, February 10, New Fairfield Board of Finance’s (BOF) Capital Planning Subcommittee met with the police department’s (PD) Trooper Mr. Nick Ierac i and the PD Secretary Ms. Sharon Boniello to discuss that department’s capital needs. They had a lengthy discussion about equipment and beyond.

Ieraci pointed out that they have saved money by taking care of two cars from 2014 and another two from 2017. They have also saved money on modems, which ar e $1,000 each. “So we have been doing a pretty good job on just maintaining,” he said, going on to say that their five-year planning list includes primarily items that are needed to replenish every year, “that is the meat and potatoes of what we need.”

BOF member Ms. Cheryl Reedy worked with Ieraci and Boniello on anticipated needs and ballpark costs for a variety of items, including body cameras,of  which they have nine of and which typically need to be replaced after five years of use. It was explained that there are no repair costs budgeted because once they are out of warranty, it is more cost effective to purchase new rather than repair body cameras. .

There was a brief discussion about the car laptops that are standard issue when a police car is purchased and outfitted but which run into the same types of problems that home laptops experience. It was estimated that the lifespan of a car laptop is roughly five years. Overall, each police car—there are nine in Town—costs approximately $90,000 to outfit with light bars, cages, radios, and more. The vehicle maintenance line has decreased in recent years, given that there are newer vehicles that  do not require a lot of maintenance beyond oil changes.

Bulletproof vests, which are estimated at $5,000 each, are ordered per individual but there are a couple of spares available. These are on five-year life cycles as well and are staggered based on need. Similarly, tasers, which have batteries that need charging, are on a five-year replacement loop at $1,000 each, which will all hit in three years. The idea of looking for grants to cover items like these was floated.

There was a discussion about the two police radios in use by troopers—one for the Town and the other for the state police—versus the one Town radio in use by the officers. The New Fairfield officers have a portable town radio and they contact the troopers with the car

radio, while they are typically connected to the Office of Emergency Management and the fire department through the dispatch center. The police can actually speak to the fire department through their portable radios, but the fire department cannot speak to the police. They do not have access, but they can hear them. The officers are getting new digital radios and portables, which were cov ered by a grant. Once the new radios and portables are in use, the police will not be able to speak to the fire department, as their equipment isanalog.

The dispatch center has recently received a completely new console, which was purchased with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The console took a few weeks to set up and become customized to the Town’s needs and calibrations are ongoing as they adjust to the new system. New monitors were also ordered and will be installed in the near future.

In discussing procedures, consideration was given for  ways to improve dealing with emergencies, many of which were identified following  the 2018 macroburst. An in-depth conversation was had regarding usage of police and emergency management services overlapping with Sherman, who also rely on New Fairfield if their Trooper or ambulance is not available. If there is a life threatening situation and Sherman needs help, a paid crew is sent right away. However, it was noted that “it happens almost every time we send our paid crew out of town and we get a second call before they are back in time. And now the people who pay for this service do not have it, so that is going to be a problem one day, just a matter of time, where the town people are going to say, we pay a million dollars for this contract. Why are they leaving our town?” It was agreed that a meeting should be set up with First Selectman Ms. Melissa Lindsey to discuss this matter.