Southbury Forum: Will You Support a Local Police Department?

The Southbury Police Department was discussed at the Wednesday, Oct. 23, candidates forum in Southbury.

A resident asked the two first selectman candidates if they will propose or promote a local police department.

The two candidates for first selectman are incumbent First Selectman and Democrat Ed Edelson and Republican challenger John Monteleone.

Monteleone said he would need some questions answered first, starting with what a police department will cost and what the current cost is of the resident trooper program.

“Once we have an answer, I think we can discuss it,” he said.

Edelson said Monteleone’s answer was a good one and said that if reelected, he will create a committee or task force to evaluate the idea.

Three or four years ago, he said there was a task force to look into the matter but there wasn’t enough diversity on the committee. Some said the town having its own police force would cost the same as a resident trooper program and others said the opposite, Edelson recalled.

He said his goal is to create a committee that will do a better job of data seeking.

“We need to learn from that experience and try to see what’s in the best experience of town,” Edelson.

Click here for the first article in the series, on economic development. To share who you’re voting for and why, visit the You’ve Got My Vote section.