By John Schwing

WESTPORT — The months-long, sometimes acrimonious debate over an ordinance to establish an independent board overseeing complaints against police sparked more heated debate Monday — without resolution.

The latest forum for a proposed Civilian Police Review Board ordinance — revised from a similar plan resoundingly rejected by the Representative Town Meeting last October — was Monday night’s meeting of the RTM Ordinance Committee.

Like previous meetings where versions of the ordinance have been reviewed since 2020, advocates of the proposal and critics clashed, accusing each other of making personal attacks and misstatements.

Vote delayed for more information

In the end, the committee held off making any recommendation on the proposed ordinance, which again has been brought before the RTM by a group of electors. 

Several committee members insisted that before voting they want to see a direct comparison of the revised language in the proposed ordinance versus the original wording.

Kristan Hamlin, a former RTM member and co-petitioner, who was an outspoken proponent of the ordinance last year, said two major changes were made to the revised ordinance.

Those changes, she said, eliminate the subpoena power initially proposed for the board and clarify that police officials would have authority to promptly launch their own investigation into a complaint filed against an officer.

The remainder of the language in the revised ordinance mirrors wording of the proposal voted down, after months of review, by the full RTM last October.

That explanation, however, was not enough to satisfy several committee members, who wanted to see the specific changes proposed by the petitioners. 

Criticizing petitioners for failing to provide those details, Christine Meiers Schatz, District 2, made a motion to delay a vote until comparative documents are forwarded, which the committee subsequently endorsed.

Before the anticlimactic end to the meeting, Ordinance Committee Chairwoman Brandi Briggs, District 7, urged committee members to focus on language in the revised ordinance, and not digress into earlier debates over whether a Civilian Police Review Board, codified by ordinance, is preferable to the existing Civilian Review Panel.

To no avail.

Koskinas, Hamlin clash … again

Police Chief Foti Koskinas, as he has previously, defended his department’s record handling complaints against officers, but reiterated he is open to new policies that may be adopted by the Civilian Review Panel.

However, the chief also was critical of the “process” involved in reviewing proposed options for police oversight, which he said from the start has been characterized by personal attacks against him and his department as “villains.”

Koskinas also said ordinance advocates have made misstatements that regularly require time-consuming efforts by police administrators to correct the record.

Hamlin sharply disagreed with Koskinas. Although no longer an RTM member, she remains a strong proponent of an ordinance codifying rules for police oversight.

She called the chief “a town employee who consistently attacked people” who favor the ordinance, including herself, Jason Stiber, who had proposed the original ordinance, and Tom Prince, the lead petitioner for the revised ordinance.

Their back-and-forth, reminiscent of arguments at earlier meetings on the proposal, became increasingly contentious until Briggs intervened.

Other RTM members weigh in

Louis Mall, District 2, asked Prince to withdraw the revised ordinance. He said the proposal is likely to suffer the same fate as the earlier version voted down by the RTM last year.

He also noted the Civilian Review Panel had its full complement of members for the first time only since March, and is in the process of establishing its policies and procedures.

“Give the panel a chance,” Mall urged Prince and other ordinance proponents.

That panel, set up in 2020 by then-First Selectman Jim Marpe, is not codified by ordinance and could be disbanded at the discretion of a future first selectperson.

Marpe’s successor, First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker, earlier this year handed over to the RTM the authority to appoint two members of the electorate to the Civilian Review Panel’s open seats.

Prince told the committee, however, that a review board would ensure greater transparency in handling complaints against police.

Critics of the appointed panel also have questioned whether appointees might have conflicts of interest, and favor a review board with more independence and broader authority.

Jimmy Izzo, chairman of the RTM’s Public Protection Committee, called the ordinance unnecessary, and vowed to oppose if it reaches the full legislative body. His committee voted 7-1 in January to recommend the proposal not be adopted by the full RTM.

He noted the existing panel also has authority to review complaints against members of all the town’s emergency services agencies, not just police.

Lauren Karpf, District 7, said there appears to be little difference between the revised ordinance and the original, rejected proposal other than “wordsmithing.”

Stephen Shackelford, District 8, said he thinks the town should adopt an ordinance to establish a Civilian Police Review Board at some point. But, he added, now is not a good time since the newly constituted Civilian Review Panel is just finding its footing.

The proposed ordinance will be considered again by the Ordinance Committee after members review the comparative documents.