Darien Police Commissioner Seeks Changes To Accountability Law

DARIEN, CT — Darien Police Commission Chair Kim Huffard has written an open letter to Gov. Ned Lamont opposing certain aspects of "An Act Concerning Police Accountability," which Lamont signed into law earlier this month.

In the letter, Huffard states that there are parts of the new law that she supports, such as expanding the role of social workers in policing, and paying more "attention on the mental health of police officers." Huffard also supports more training and education for new and veteran officers.

But Huffard wants to see more study and discussion on some aspects of the law before they take effect.

"I am proud to say the Darien Police Department has policies in place that meet or exceed many of the provisions outlined in the bill, Huffard wrote. For example, we employ dash cams and every Darien Police officer wears a body cam while on patrol duty."

Additionally, Darien officers "have a duty to intervene if they witness another officer using excessive force," and the department has "full civilian oversight" through the police commission.

Darien police Chief Don Anderson discussed similar areas where the department meets or exceeds the new policing standards in a statement released in July.

Though Lamont signed the measure into law in early August, some aspects of it do not take effect immediately, writes NBC Connecticut.

In fact, the aspect of the law that Huffard opposes, the controversial changing of the immunity from liability for officers, would not take effect until July 2021, which was designed to allow for additional discussion on the matter.

"There is no doubt we need to hold bad officers accountable, and current federal law allows us to do that," Huffard wrote. "However, we also need to simultaneously protect our good officers, as we all benefit from good policing."

As it stands now, the law "removes the safeguards to have unmerited and frivolous lawsuits dismissed early," which could jeopardize good officers by being sued in state courts, according to Huffard.

"As protective policing now presents a significant libability, this bill moves us further from the goal of safety and protection for our citizens as well as our police officers," Huffard wrote, adding that there also could be significant negative financial ramifications for towns in the state. "This bill hurts good officers, damages our recruitment efforts and puts unworkable burdens on our officers that directly impact public safety."