East Haven Police Department Poised to Make History: Maturo

EAST HAVEN, CT - During Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr.'s state of the town address delivered last week, the mayor discussed what he called historic changes to the Police Department over the past few years.

In his speech, Maturo said, "Looking ahead, December 21, 2016 will mark a historic day for the Town of East Haven. That date, which is only a mere nine months away, is the four-year anniversary and the anticipated termination date of the Police Department's agreement with the Department of Justice.

"Our police officers and leaders have worked tirelessly to comply with that agreement and their success has been recognized by leaders and law enforcement professionals across the country.

On December 21, 2016, they will be able to pride themselves on one more achievement: They will be the first police department in the nation to have satisfied their obligations under a DOJ consent decree BOTH on time and under-budget.

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While the cultural inequities and social dysfunction of the past certainly posed unique challenges for our police department, the greatest challenge still lies ahead. Looking past December, we must ready ourselves for independence from the stringent reporting and oversight requirements that we have abided by for the last four years.

We must take steps to ensure that we preserve the accountability, transparency, and tolerance that we have worked so hard to restore within our Police Department so that future generations are never again faced with the challenges we've worked so hard to overcome.

We have an abundance of talented professionals within our Police Department and I know they are prepared to take on the challenges of the future and to lead our department with pride for generations to come," Maturo said.