New London — A new three-year contract for the New London police union has cleared the path for creation of a Police Civilian Review Board.

Both the police union and City Council have approved the tentative agreement, which also calls for annual performance evaluations for police officers, 2% raises in the first year, 1.5% raises through 2024 and random drug testing of officers in line with the state’s new Police Accountability Act.

The City Council unanimously approved the terms of the contract following a closed-door meeting earlier this month. The Day obtained a copy of the tentative agreement, but the city has yet to release the entire contract because it has not been finalized.

Police Union President Joshua Bergeson said the wage increases and other elements of the contract will help the department as it tries to retain officers and attract new hires in a highly competitive environment.

“Every police department in the region is hiring,” Bergeson said.

The City Council’s unanimous approval of the contract, along with a recent approval of borrowing for police-related capital items, might also signal an improved relationship between the union and council. Some of the friction between the two sides came after the previous council voted to eliminate a police staffing ordinance that mandated at least 80 officers. The council’s move was later overturned at referendum.

Bergeson said he hoped the support from the council continues through the budget process.

The formation of Police Civilian Review Board, or something like it, was one of the key recommendations of a Public Safety Policy Review Committee that formed in 2020 to review policies and practices at the police department with a goal of providing more police accountability and community oversight of the department.

The new board would likely replace the existing Police Community Relations Committee, which had faced criticism at times from police union members who alleged some members had a clear anti-police bias. Six members resigned from the committee in protest last year over alleged cyberbullying and intimidation by members of the police union.

That committee’s main duty, in addition to fostering relations between the community and police, is to review completed investigations into complaints against police officers. It does not, however, have the power to challenge outcomes.

Some committee members have argued for an expansion of oversight powers, such as the ability to subpoena witnesses.

A Police Civilian Review Board would maintain its advisory role but would be able to escalate any unresolved issues by sending concerns to the mayor’s office, referred to as the CEO in the contract, for review and even a possible formal hearing.

The new board would be composed of seven members — three chosen by the mayor, three by the council and one from the police union. Members would be subject to “a cursory background check,” with the union allowed to give testimony on why a person should or should not be appointed.

Mayor Michael Passero and Chief Administrative Officer Steve Fields said the intent of a more formal process of choosing board members is to weed out individuals with clear pro- or anti-police bias.

Kat Goulart, chairperson of the Police Community Relations Committee, said her hope was that when a new board is formed, it would contain a diverse group and not all from New London’s ruling Democratic party, or what she called the “in crowd.”

Goulart, president of the FBI New Haven Citizens Academy Alumni Association and chairperson of the New London Republican Town Committee, said it is possible for people like herself to serve without bias.

“It is incredibly hard to do. Everybody has biases. The key is not to find someone who does not biases but to find someone who can set aside those biases,” she said.

There will be prerequisite training for the board members about modern police practices, and any board member found to be working against the improvement of police community relations is subject to a review and potential hearing before the mayor’s office, City Council safety committee and police union for determination on whether that individual should be removed.

“I look forward to having a review process that is more accepted by the community and not so controversial,” Passero said. “I think both the police union and the community relations board both had frustrations with the process the way it was set up.”

The Police Community Relations Committee was set up in the 1970s due to a stipulated consent degree issued by the U.S. District Court of Connecticut. It was the city’s way to address the lack of a formal civilian complaint process following a lawsuit brought by a Hispanic resident who alleged discrimination.

Passero said the City Council will have to vote to create the new board.

g.smith@theday.com