Police Unions From 7 Towns Endorse Kim Healy For 26th District

Press release from Healy for CT:

Oct. 6, 2020

“Through an unprecedented alliance, the Local Police Unions of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton have joined in support of Senate candidate Kim Healy.

Local Police Unions have historically aimed to maintain a neutral position in political matters. Their members, the men and women who have pledged to serve and protect their communities and to ensure that all rights of all citizens are equally preserved, have trusted their elected officials to legislate in support of the safety of all individuals, the public and their servants alike.

Instead, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, our State legislators have rushed to a crowd-pleasing judgment and condemnation of their local Police forces, merely based on hijacked emotions rather than factual data. As a result, in July Connecticut passed one of the strongest anti-Police bills in the country, whose success was solely ensured by a partisan charge led, among others, by our incumbent State Senator William Haskell, representing District 26.

The bill was hastily put together and voted on without any meaningful consultation with those who were to be mostly affected by it. Police have been demonized and vilified, accused of random and intentional wrongdoings, and alleged to operate under the “shielding” power of a largely misunderstood qualified immunity.

The Unions’ message to our communities is that our members will continue to be proudly committed to the safety of the public, to the assistance of all those in need, and to the preservation of life and property, with the highest respect for all diversity that is the essence of humanity. But we do need your support, and we encourage you to engage in conversations with your local officers to better understand how this legislation has affected not only the officers’ ability to protect themselves, but also, as a result, their ability to safely engage to protect the communities they care about and have sworn to protect.

We serve with integrity, and we ask for our legislators to serve our State with integrity, and not in the blatant furtherance of partisan political interests.

The Unions will therefore ask you to stand with us in support of Kim Healy, as an advocate for the safety of our communities, and the safety of the men and women who have devoted their lives to the service of the public.”

Bethel Police Union
New Canaan Police Union
Redding Police Union
Ridgefield Police Union
Wilton Police Union
Weston Police Union
Westport Police Union

“I am truly honored to have received this endorsement of the Police Unions of all seven towns – Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton, Weston, and Westport - in the 26th District because I have so much respect for the work that they do every day to keep our communities safe. My father and brother were police officers and I very personally understand the difficult job they do, often at great risk to their own lives, and it is the legislature’s responsibility to ensure that they have the tools and the means to perform it safely and successfully.”

“As I have stated in my previous comments regarding the reckless police accountability bill co-sponsored by my opponent Mr. Haskell, it will lead to significantly greater risk for officers and the public because it legislates hesitation into police encounters. This bill does not actually address what the country is crying out for: removing bad police officers from the job and extra training for good officers. This expensive and extravagant bill will not solve the very problem that lead to its creation. The bill prohibits consent searches, which has been essential tool in removing illicit drugs and firearms from our streets. It also opens the door to nuisance litigation where settlements will be extracted from towns, creating major financial liabilities and potentially tarnishing a good officer’s reputation. Finally, it mandates impossible training requirements that are exceedingly expensive and ineffective, all without necessary funding.”

“Legislators are not doing their job when they do not adequately consult with those most impacted by this legislation to create a bill that properly addresses their well-intended goals. This bill was hastily rushed through in the middle of the night and members of the majority party have conceded that it now requires amendments before it is even implemented. If elected, I will propose the necessary reforms to ensure that our police officers and ALL in our communities are safe.”

Kim Healy
State Senate Candidate, 26th District

This press release was produced by Healy for CT. The views expressed here are the author's own.