New London — The New London police union, frustrated that the city has left a captain’s position vacant for more than a year, has filed two complaints as the result of stalled talks over a reorganization of the department.

The union said reorganization may have included the elimination of one of the three captain positions, the addition of a fourth lieutenant and the hiring of a deputy chief, among other items. Negotiations were never completed.   

The union contract requires three captains and allows, but does not require, the non-union deputy chief’s position, which is also not funded in the current city budget.

“They’re holding us hostage right now by not filling that third captain’s spot in order to get leverage to get a deputy chief,” said local police union President Todd Lynch. “If they think the members would vote to give up a captain’s spot so the city can have a deputy chief, they’re delusional. Why would we do that?”

A state labor hearing is scheduled Wednesday over two Municipal Prohibited Practice complaints. One relates to the city’s adherence to the union contract, and the second is what the union claims is “bad faith bargaining,” or allegedly misleading the union about an extension of a department promotional list that had expired in the spring, while talks were still under way. The union had expected a string of promotions if terms of a reorganization were reached.

New London Mayor Michael Passero and Chief Administrative Officer Steve Fields both said the city had waited on a promotion of a captain while talks had continued with the union over a realignment of supervisory positions at the department. They both said it would be inappropriate to discuss specifics of a possible reorganization but confirmed the city and union, after months of talks, had failed to come to an final agreement.

The city has been without a captain since the retirement of Capt. Lawrence J. Keating Jr. in January 2020. New London Police Chief Peter Reichard was hired as deputy chief in 2012 to replace Marshall Segar and named chief in 2017 following the retirement of former chief Margaret Ackley. The position has not been funded by the City Council since that time.

Lynch said the lack of promotions has stymied the career goals of officers at the department. He said the actions of the police chief and Fields was a “slap in the face to the membership” and additionally criticized Passero for his lack of support in the face of public calls for police budget reductions and talk by the City Council of revisiting a city ordinance that requires the department to have 80 officers.

g.smith@theday.com