New Canaan Police Commission approves budget items, rejects speed cameras
Other Committee · Meeting of May 21, 2026
New Canaan Police Commission passes routine budget items and rules out speed cameras for now. Meeting with only two of three commissioners present after one was stranded by a canceled flight, the panel unanimously approved prior minutes, revised general orders, invoices and reimbursements, and college course approvals for Officers Connelly, Bartucca, Lee and Clark. Property owner Brock Sachs told commissioners construction at the Courtyard development on Cherry Street has pushed utility work into peak hours and caused "barrier creep" eating up nearby parking, and asked the commission to ensure spaces are restored when work wraps up in about a year.
The police chief said the department is at 76.6 percent of its annual budget, with admin/visibility calls up to 52 year-to-date from three last year, and confirmed the town has passed on speed cameras, calling penalties for camera violations weaker than standard tickets: "They're basically like violating a local ordinance."
In the full story:
- The complete report — 874 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of May 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — May 21, 2026 — The New Canaan Police Commission approved a slate of routine budget and personnel items and fielded a pointed complaint from a downtown property owner over construction disruptions at the Cherry Street redevelopment site known as the Courtyard, all while two of the panel's three commissioners handled the meeting after the third was stranded by a canceled flight.
The commission also confirmed it has decided against installing traffic speed cameras despite their growing use elsewhere in Connecticut, with the police chief telling commissioners the devices carry weaker legal teeth than officer-issued tickets and would likely generate complaints without meaningfully improving safety.
The Full Story
Commissioners Rick and Shekinah, the two members present, opened the meeting by approving the minutes of the previous session, a set of revised general orders, and routine invoices and employee reimbursements, all by unanimous voice vote. A third commissioner was absent after a flight to Washington was canceled. The commission also approved, as a group, college course reimbursements for Officers Connelly, Bartucca, Lee and Clark.
The bulk of the meeting's public discussion came from Brock Sachs, who told commissioners he owns and manages property at 107-111 Cherry Street, across from the Courtyard development at the former Burdett Avenue and Cherry Street site. Sachs said utility contractors have been doing work during peak daytime hours rather than off-hours, despite a condition of the project's approval requiring "best efforts" to schedule work outside business hours. The daytime work has caused road closures that have hurt nearby businesses, he said, though he added he did not believe the closures had yet cut power to any businesses.
Sachs also raised what he called "barrier creep," saying Jersey barriers and construction staging have gradually taken over parking spaces along Cherry Street beyond the project's original footprint, as the developer uses every available inch of the tight site for dumpsters and material handling since demolition began in January 2025. He asked the commission to revisit the project's approval conditions to ensure all displaced parking, including spaces referenced in the original approval for trucks and cars, is restored once construction wraps up, which he estimated could take about another year.
Commissioners said staff members Sarah and Tiger have been in regular contact with the developer and asked them to reconfirm the parking configuration required under the approval. "I don't want them to take back permanently these parking spaces that all the businesses in the area need," Sachs said.
"There's some barrier creep, I'll put it that way, on Cherry Street," Sachs said — Brock Sachs, property owner, 107-111 Cherry Street.
In the chief's monthly report, the department reported spending 76.6 percent of its budget with the fiscal year nearing its end, calling the department on track overall but flagging an expected spike next month from retroactive payments tied to a union contract settlement. Admin and visibility calls rose to 52 year-to-date from three a year earlier, which the chief attributed to increased officer presence downtown, particularly monitoring e-bike riders and sidewalk cycling. Stolen vehicle reports rose to 11 year-to-date from three, which the chief described as part of a cyclical regional trend rather than a new problem. Staffing sat at about 65 percent of normal strength, with five vacancies including a school resource officer, a master investigator and a traffic officer, plus one officer in field training, one in the academy and others on extended military leave.
Commissioners also asked about speed cameras, noting roughly 15 Connecticut towns now use them. The chief said the department studied the option and found it cost-prohibitive and legally weaker than standard enforcement, since camera violations are treated as local ordinance infractions rather than state motor vehicle infractions.
"None of that would apply to these speed cameras. They're basically like violating a local ordinance," the chief said — New Canaan Police Chief.
"I would prefer that our officers go out there and do the work that they're getting paid for," the chief said — New Canaan Police Chief.
Why It Matters
Cherry Street business owners have been absorbing months of construction disruption tied to the Courtyard redevelopment, and Sachs's comments put the commission on notice that displaced parking needs to be fully restored, not permanently ceded to the finished project. With completion roughly a year out, the commission's review of the original approval conditions, and staff follow-up with the developer, will determine whether the parking commitments are actually enforced.
The commission's decision to pass on speed cameras, now used in about 15 Connecticut towns, means enforcement in New Canaan will continue to rely on officer patrols rather than automated ticketing, a choice the chief tied directly to concerns about cost and the weaker legal consequences camera-issued tickets carry.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approval of the minutes from the previous meeting Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approval of revisions to the general orders Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approval of invoices and employee reimbursements Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approval of college course approvals for Officers Connelly, Bartucca, Lee and Clark Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Police Commission meeting, May 21, 2026