HAMDEN, CT — The Police Commission's Wednesday, Oct. 14, agenda listed a vote on a new police drone policy that would set up a "Drone as First Responder" program, keeping an aircraft on the roof of police headquarters to launch on 911 calls and fly beyond the operator's line of sight. The same week, the Retirement Board's packet put the Hamden Employees' Retirement Plan at $218.9 million, behind its benchmark for the year.
Minutes from this week's meetings had not been posted as of Friday, Oct. 16, except for the Hamden Plains Cemetery Committee's. The Legislative Council meets Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at Memorial Town Hall, 2372 Whitney Ave.; the town had not posted that meeting's agenda as of Friday morning.
Police Commission
The commission's Oct. 14 agenda listed a vote on Policy 033-001, "Unmanned Aircraft Systems," a rulebook of about 24 pages submitted by Lt. Timothy McKeon and reviewed by the Daigle Law Group, the department's contracted policy lawyers. Under it, the chief would name a program coordinator, outdoor pilots would need Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 certification, and every flight would be logged in an incident report. Drones could not carry weapons or replace routine patrols, officers would need a warrant wherever the law calls for one, and video could not be gathered or kept solely to watch protests or other activity protected by the First Amendment.
The rooftop drone would reach an emergency ahead of officers under an FAA authorization for flights out of the pilot's sight and over people and moving traffic, its camera facing the horizon until it arrives. Video from those flights would be erased after 30 days unless a criminal case needs it; other mission footage would be kept 180 days. The memo also offers the drones to the Fire Department for fires, searches for missing people and storms.
The agenda also carried a revised injury-reporting policy that moves workers' compensation claims from PMA to Lodestar, and an update from the commission's attorney on open cases. The department's September report lists 86 of 103 budgeted positions filled and speed humps under construction: six on Gorham Avenue and five on Armory Street.
Retirement Board
Preliminary figures from Dahab Associates, on the board's Oct. 14 agenda, put the Hamden Employees' Retirement Plan at $218.9 million on Sept. 30, with a 1.8% loss for the month and a 4.9% gain for the calendar year, against 6.9% for the index Dahab measures it by. Bonds were the only part of the portfolio down for the year, at minus 3.1%.
Members were also asked to approve a $20,727.53 Dahab bill for April through June and four $3,578 monthly fees from Associated Administrators LLC, $14,312 in all. Four retirements were listed, among them Fire Marshal Brian Dolan, effective Sept. 30 after more than 23 years with the Fire Department, and Detective Michael Scott Levenduski of the major crimes unit, effective Nov. 30.