The bad blood between the city and its police officers was front and center Wednesday.
The city held its Meritorious Awards Program at City Hall, but only four top-ranking police officers attended.
The rank and file and their families skipped the City Hall program.
Instead, police officers met at the Masonic Hall on Main Street, where the local union handed out awards. More than 100 officers and their families then had lunch.
"We decided that this is our day. We decided on a family-oriented thing," said Mike Farrell, president of Local 891 of AFSCME Council 15.
The union sued the city in April over the binding arbitration award handed down March 15. The city and union negotiated to a stalemate over the last three years.
[...]
Police Chief Al Baker knew his officers were boycotting the official awards ceremony, but he showed up anyway with Deputy Chief Terry Shanahan, Capt. Robert Myles and Detective Capt. Mitch Weston.
"There is still some very bad feelings about the contract and arbitration award," Baker said. "This isn't supposed to be a political event. It's about recognizing our officers for outstanding achievement."
Baker said the department will work through the morale problem. He said at his former department in Racine, Wis., officers also boycotted an awards ceremony during a labor dispute. Baker said he will hand out the department's awards during roll call over the next few days.
[...]
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who was present in the council chambers to hand out the awards, said the ceremony is a long-standing Danbury tradition and it is time for the officers to stop thinking about the labor contract.
"The contract is done," Boughton said.
He said the city is ready to begin meeting with the union over the issues of reorganizing the department.
This has been an on-going situation for years and it's safe to say that the bad blood between City Hall and the police department won't be resolved any time soon.
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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
