Public Safety
Months After Cops Told to Wear Cameras, Police Dept Suddenly Settles Union Grievance
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Months ago, without mentioning the implementation of the policy to the public, the Darien Police Department instructed officers to wear body cameras, regularly recording all interactions with the pubic. What various town officials have said as recently as Monday about a union complaint over how the policy was being implemented seems to be contradicted by an agreement reached Thursday between the town and the union. First, the agreement announced Friday shows town’s bargaining position appears to have been weak, even though town officials indicated it was strong. Second, the negotiations — completed Thursday, five months after the grievance was filed — were far from dead in the water, as town officials indicated Monday. Town officials weren’t in their offices late Friday afternoon when Darienite.com sought comment from them: Police Chief Ray Osborne was out of the office by mid-afternoon Friday, not long after police announced the agreement.