East Haven In 'Full Compliance' of Consent Decree and at a 'Fraction' of Anticipated Cost

Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. announced today that as the town approaches December 21, 2014, the two-year anniversary of the effective date of East Haven’s agreement with the Department of Justice, the Police Department has reached a level of sustained compliance with each and every aspect of the agreement.

Perhaps more remarkably, Maturo announced that the town has reached this milestone at a “fraction” of the anticipated cost. The savings can be used for road repairs, new equipment for the town, and renovations to ball fields, the mayor said. 

Maturo explained, “December twenty-first marks an incredible milestone for our community. I am proud to announce that we will pass this milestone date in complete and sustained compliance with the objectives of our agreement with the Department of Justice. I am equally proud to announce that we have achieved this progress at only a fraction of the projected cost.”

Maturo continued, “At the outset of this remarkable journey, the town bonded $2.5 million dollars to finance the costs of this project, anticipating that the bulk of the monies would be expended in the first two years due to necessary and expensive technological upgrades and costly policy revisions from experts. After two years and with the vast majority of the most expensive work complete, the Town has expended just 27.9% of these funds, or $699,946 dollars.”

In her eighteen-month report released in August, the Joint-Compliance Expert, Kathleen O’Toole, who serves as an independent broker and supervisor of the Town’s progress, commended the “total commitment on the part of the Town of East Haven,” and noted that the Mayor, Police Chief, and department personnel in charge of this endeavor “have not wavered once on their commitments under the Settlement Agreement.”

Additionally, in her report, O’Toole concluded “that the milestones accomplished in the first eighteen months are impressive” and noted that “[a] solid foundation has been established, particularly with the development, training and ongoing review of the new Policies and Procedures Manual.”

According to the expense report released by the Town’s Finance Department, the largest expenses to date have included payments to the joint compliance expert for her supervisory services ($133,365), equipment ($64,916) and personnel costs ($191,818).

Maturo explained, “I am pleased that the bulk of the funds reserved for this project have been used for substantive matters and have not been chewed up by legal fees or court costs. We have carefully monitored the use of these funds to ensure that they are utilized judiciously.”

If the all of the funds initially reserved for the project are not utilized, the Town has the option to re-allocate the monies for other capital projects within the Town.

Maturo explained, “Presuming that we will finish this project considerably under budget, it will be my recommendation to the Town Council to re-allocate the unused funds to provide new equipment to our public works department, to renovate existing ball fields and facilities across Town, and to make improvements to our roads. There is a potential to be able to reallocate between $1.1 and $1.3 million dollars to improve the very facilities and services that our residents utilize on a daily basis. Re-allocating these monies will mean that the Town will be able to make a real impact for our residents without engaging in new, costly borrowing.”

Maturo concluded, “Our Police Department has become a model for others across the country and is on the cutting edge of new policing developments. We have reached this level because of the hard work, commitment, and vision of our police leadership, all of the members of our police family, and the many Town officials who have supervised this project. I am proud of our progress, delighted that we have achieved it significantly under-budget, and hopeful for the continued cultural growth of our community and police department.”