Stonington — All 53 officers and civilian employees of the police department have sent a letter to the Board of Police Commissioners saying they were shocked the board has decided to seek candidates from outside the department to replace retiring Chief J. Darren Stewart, instead of hiring veteran Lt. Bryan Schneider.

"From the inside looking out, we can't understand why the police commission would consider such a drastic move," reads the Jan. 4 letter, calling Schneider a proven, hardworking leader who is respected by not only his fellow officers but other first responders, town employees and the Connecticut State's Attorney Office.

"Through our many contacts across law enforcement, the union knows that bringing in an outside chief to a department that already has a culture of high professional standards and integrity has historically proven to be detriment to the department and the community it serves," the letter states. "These clashes of culture have resulted in the early retirement of valued officers, division among its ranks, as well as low morale by its staff ... The union doesn't deny that in some situations a change in leadership or culture is exactly what a police department needs, however we don't perceive Stonington as one of those departments."  

It cautioned the "ripple effect of severing the continuity of not hiring a chief from within our ranks will have long lasting detrimental effects on this department."

Meanwhile, the union that represents Westerly police officers, who work closely with Stonington officers, expressed that same sentiment in a letter it has sent to the board. Westerly police union President Anthony Alicchio wrote that on two occasions in which Westerly hired a chief from the outside, "the department suffered greatly, causing irreputable damage to the men, women and support staff within the department and community."

He added it would be detrimental to hire a chief from the outside, saying it "would infer that the Stonington Police Department does not have the ability to groom leadership from within. For those who have aspired to move up through the ranks and have committed themselves to the department (it) implies they are incapable of leading the men and women of the Stonington Police Department."

"If you had a department that was experiencing major issues it might be understandable to hire outside the walls of your department," he continued. "The Stonington Police department has more than qualified individuals in place to take over and keep your department running without disruption for a smooth transition."

The department's last two chiefs, Stewart and David Erskine, spent their entire careers in the department before being promoted to chief. The chief before Erskine, the late Patrick Hedge, was a state police major before being hired as chief in 1988. Hedge retired in 1998 after suffering a stroke. In 1996 he was arrested for harassing his ex-wife.

He was placed in the state's domestic violence education program and ordered to undergo any counseling or psychiatric evaluation deemed appropriate. The Board of Police Commissioners placed him on five months of paid administrative leave.

The letters from the Stonington and Westerly officers are on the agenda for the board when it meets Thursday at 5 p.m. in the police station community room.   

An unexpected decision

After Stewart informed the board last fall that he planned to retire later this year, the board decided to first consider applications for the job from current department members who hold the rank of lieutenant or above. That meant in addition to Schneider, Lt. Michael Peckham and Capt. Todd Olson also were eligible to apply for the job. However, Olson and Peckham decided not to apply.

Officers and other supporters of Schneider packed the police station community room on Dec. 16 as the board interviewed Schneider for two hours behind closed doors. They expected he would be named the new police chief when the board completed its interview. 

But the board shocked the officers by agreeing to consider applications from outside candidates as well as Schneider. It said the decision "is in no way a rejection of our internal candidate" but it decided to accept outside applications on a limited time basis so it could do "due diligence in this selection."

"It was the feeling of the selection committee and now a motion of the Board of Police Commissioners that because we have no context of comparison to draw from, that we open the selection up to outside candidates for a limited time period," the board stated in its motion.

Applications are being accepted through Jan. 31. The salary range for the job is $120,000 to $132,000.  

Officers, employees praise Schneider

The Stonington letter was signed by officers and supervisors, animal control officers, dispatchers, clerks, maintenance and informational technology workers and the department's four chaplains. It was not signed by Stewart and Olson but contained a note that they were not able to sign it per advice by the town attorney.

Asked about the town attorney's advice, Stewart responded Wednesday via an emailed statement: "In order to have an impartial selection process, it would be inappropriate as the current Chief to be involved in the selection process unless asked to assist by the Police Commission. Furthermore, it would be inappropriate for the Captain who currently supervises the internal candidate or who would be supervised by that candidate to comment."   

The letter states that Schneider would provide the department with "crucial and much needed stability" as the profession faces new challenges with reform and accountability. 

The employees wrote that they want to make it clear to the commission that Schneider already has been managing the day-to-day operations of the department, as well as keeping up with changing laws and mandates for several years.

They said his leadership not only instills confidence and teamwork but he creates a positive and productive work environment by listening to and caring about his staff, leading by example, practicing positive reinforcement and holding staff accountable for errors. They added he understands and deeply cares about the town and the reputation of the police department.

"He has dedicated himself to the Town of Stonington, often sacrificing his off-duty time, for the good of the town and department," the letter states. "Lieutenant Schneider's dedication is noticed by all of us."

j.wojtas@theday.com