Prst. Std. U.S. Postage Paid Naugatuck, CT #27
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume IX, No. 1
Friday, January 4, 2013
Dispatch deal executed
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
The signed memorandum of agreement between the Town of Middlebury and Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communication Center (Northwest) of Prospect was returned to First Selectman Edward B. St. John’s office Wednesday. The agreement will move police dispatching to Northwest from Middlebury. Whether the move actually will be made depends in part on the selectmen’s action on three petitions submitted by the town’s two fulltime police dispatchers, Jim Roy and Tom Reynolds. The petitions call for a special town meeting to vote on rejecting the agreement and passing an ordinance to prevent changes to the 911 emergency dispatch system and communications department. Roy said in an interview Tuesday he was hoping the petitions would be on the agenda for the next Board of Selectmen (BoS) meeting Monday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room. However, St. John said Wednesday the petitions are still being reviewed by Town Attorney Bob Smith, and he did not know if they would be on the agenda next Monday. Noting the town decided to outsource dispatching because it is seen as a savings to taxpayers, Roy asked, “How priceless are the information and tools we have sitting here to residents and visitors to this town?” He added, “Here we are in Middlebury taking care of Middlebury. Some of us live here. We are taking care of our friends and families. Will it be the same with a regional dispatcher?” Northwest Executive Director Susan Webster said Wednesday she is confident Northwest can do the job. “We’ve been in public safety communications since 1975. I have a wonderful staff. We have a pro-active board of directors. We’ll be able to handle it. We’ll make sure we don’t fail,” she said. Northwest has dispatched Middlebury’s fire and ambulance
calls since 2004. Webster said part of what is done at Northwest is it is the 911 call center for six municipalities: Prospect, Beacon Falls, Woodbury, Roxbury, Bethlehem and Oxford. Northwest handles their fire and medical calls; police calls are transferred to the state police barracks because the six towns are resident trooper towns. It also provides hospital-to-ambulance communications for towns, including Middlebury, and recently coordinated hospital-to-ambulance communications for Newtown following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. Although Northwest hasn’t handled police dispatching yet, Webster said all that is required above and beyond other dispatch training is three days of National Crime Information Center Collect training. She said Acting Chief Richard Wildman and his staff will help train the Northwest dispatchers, and training will include issues such as handling domestic violence and in-house shooter calls. All 22 dispatchers on the staff will go through the training. She said, “They will be cross-trained so anyone can handle any position.” She said one dispatcher per shift will be assigned to police dispatch for Middlebury. It is not clear whether Middlebury dispatchers will have jobs at Northwest if dispatching moves there. During the Dec. 3 BoS meeting, St. John said the town received a guarantee from Northwest that the dispatchers would be employed. He said that made him feel better because it meant they weren’t putting anyone out on the street. At the time, Roy said that was the first he heard they were guaranteed a job. He said during a Nov. 7, 2012, meeting, Northwest told them there would be a pre-employment process, and they would have to qualify to work there. St. John said Wednesday, “Everything has been done to protect these people and give them a job. As far as I’m concerned, Sue will welcome them with open arms.” Webster said she and Smith
Signs asking residents to "Save Dispatch" are posted in Middlebury following the Board of Selectmen's decision to outsource the Middlebury Police Department's dispatching to Northwest Connecticut Public Safety Communications in Prospect. The firm has been dispatching the town's fire and ambulance calls since 2004. (Marjorie Needham photo) had discussed the matter. “What we would like to do is go through our hiring process, and as long as they meet our standards, they would go to the top of the list for fulltime hires,” she said. Asked if there were any job openings, she said, “We will have job openings for fulltime positions if we complete this contract and take on Middlebury.” She said to be hired by Northwest, Roy and Reynolds would have to meet four requirements. All employees have to pass a pre-employment physical including drug, vision and hearing testing and undergo a background check by state police. In addition, they have to take two tests. One is a Select Advantage test that is a personality test. The other is a “CritiCall” test, which is testing software specifically for
public safety dispatchers that shows their typing skills and multitasking abilities. Webster said two of her parttime dispatchers do police dispatching elsewhere, and she thinks adding the fulltime Middlebury police dispatchers will be an advantage to Northwest if the firm moves forward with Middlebury. Nevertheless, she said Middlebury dispatchers will have to pass the pre-employment requirements. “I need to make sure everyone we hire meets standards,” Webster said. Asked what Middlebury dispatchers might be paid if they were hired, Webster said, “We have not yet discussed what their hourly wage would be.” She said Northwest dispatchers are not union members. Middlebury dispatchers are.
In 2012, starting pay for fulltime dispatchers in Middlebury was $20.47. After a year on the job, the pay increased to $21.51, and after two years, it increased to $22.52 an hour. Webster said the top pay at Northwest is $23.50 per hour. An entry-level person with no certification and no training starts at $15.96 an hour. Those with experience and with certifications come in at $18.07 an hour, and after six months’ probation, their rate increases to $20.83 an hour. As for the cost of keeping police dispatching in Middlebury, it ranges from the dispatchers’ estimate of $312,401 a year for four fulltime dispatchers to the town’s estimate of $418,000. That compares to the cost of $196,334.77 plus $50,000 for the first year with Northwest, July 1,
2013, to June 30, 2014. Northwest’s cost includes fire, ambulance and police dispatching. Webster said the $50,000, which is needed to get the computer-aided dispatch equipment up to date, is expected to come out of a grant from the state rather than from town funds. The term of the agreement is five years, and then it will automatically renew for three-year terms. No fees are listed for years two through five. Instead, the agreement says, “On or before February 28th Northwest will advise Town of the cost of Northwest’s services for the next fiscal year.” The agreement also says the town must give a year’s notice before terminating the agreement.
Fraudulent schemes target Newtown tragedy, arrest made David B. Fein, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, sent out a press release Dec. 21 that said federal and state investigators are actively monitoring the Internet and investigating multiple fundraising and charity scams arising from the Newtown tragedy. On Dec. 27, Fein and Kimberly K. Mertz, special agent in charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced the arrest of a New York woman on a federal criminal complaint charging her with lying to FBI agents in connection with their investigation into a fraudulent fundraising scheme related to the Newtown school shooting tragedy. The complaint alleges Nouel Alba, 37, of the Bronx, New York, used her Face-
book account, telephone calls and text messages to falsely claim to be a relative of a shooting victim and solicited money from donor-victims who wanted to donate, claiming the money was for the child’s “funeral fund.” At Alba’s instruction, donor-victims sent money to a PayPal account controlled and accessed by Alba. When contacted by FBI special agents investigating fundraising and charity scams related to the Newtown tragedy, Alba falsely stated she did not post information related to Newtown on her Facebook account, solicit donations or recently access her PayPal account. Alba also falsely claimed to have immediately refunded any donations she received.
“This arrest should serve as a warning to anyone who attempts to profit from this tragedy by contriving fraudulent schemes that exploit the many victims, their families and individuals who sincerely want to help,” said Fein. “Investigators continue to monitor the Internet to uncover other fundraising scams arising from this tragedy, and the individuals operating them face federal or state prosecution to the fullest extent permitted by law.” Mertz said, “It is unconscionable to think that the families of the victims in Newtown and a sympathetic community looking to provide them some sort of financial support and comfort have become the targets of criminals.” Today’s
arrest is a stern message that the FBI will investigate and bring to justice those who perpetrate Internet fundraising scams, especially those scams that exploit the most vulnerable in their time of shared sorrow.” Following her arrest, Alba appeared before U.S. Magistrate Thomas P. Smith in Hartford and was released on a $50,000 bond. If convicted of making false statements to federal agents, Alba faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to $250,000. Fein stressed a complaint is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Individuals with knowledge of fraudulent Newtown-related fundraising schemes are encouraged to contact the FBI in Connecticut at 203-777-6311. Anyone who attempts to profit from this tragedy by exploiting its many victims and a vulnerable population faces federal or state prosecution to the fullest extent permitted by law. Potential federal charges associated with fraudulent fundraising and charity schemes include wire fraud (18 USC 1343, 20-year maximum prison term), access device fraud (18 USC 1029, 10-year maximum prison term), and interstate transportation of stolen property (18 USC 2314, 10-year maximum prison term).
Adoptable Pets................ 8 Classifieds....................... 7 Community Calendar....... 2 Fire Log........................... 2 In Brief............................ 4 Legal Notices.................. 7 Library Happenings.......... 2
Library Lines.................... 2 Nuggets for Life.............. 6 Obituaries....................... 5 Puzzles........................... 7 Region 15 Calendar........ 3 Senior Center News......... 3 Varsity Sports Calendar.... 6
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Upcoming Events
Inside this Issue
Wednesdays Saturdays Sundays saturday Jan. 5
Bald Eagle Viewing at Shepaug Dam in Southbury When: What: How:
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. See the bald eagles that overwinter at the dam Call 1-800-368-8954 Tuesday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to make a reservation. See shepaugeagles.info.
Girl Scout Cookies go on sale
When: Sales start Saturday What: Proceeds from sales support Connecticut Girl Scouts. Where: Booths at area businesses or go to www.gsofct.org to find local Girl Scouts selling cookies.
Eagle Scout project aids Flanders
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