Crime & Safety

Newtown Police To Scrutinize Their 12/14 Response

Police Chief Michael Kehoe says the state report released last Monday shows officers handled the situation appropriately.

The Newtown Police Department is planning a full review of its actions on Dec. 14 in the wake of the state's summary report released last week, as a Danbury attorney's office plans to release the 911 calls from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The review will examine the choices, judgment calls and tactical decisions made in the minutes from 9:35 a.m., when the first 911 call was placed from Sandy Hook Elementary School, until police entered the building at about 9:44 a.m.

Police union head Scott Ruszczyk told Patch the state's report showed "exactly what we expected."

"The response was very rapid and timely," he said. "Could it be done better next time? Probably. Will that take review by departments around the country? Sure. Every critical instance we learn something we can do to improve it."

Ruszczyk said the report quashed some confusion that had been harmful in past months, including allegations that Newtown police were ordered to remain outside the building while shooting was still taking place.

"There's been a lot of rumors that have been planted, and they've all been shown to be untrue," he said. "The report says exactly what we expected. In terms of the police response, it's unbelievable that somebody would inflict more pain on those families by casting down on what happened that day. When the report came out, it said all those unnamed sources are wrong."

Police Chief Michael Kehoe told The Danbury News-Times last week the report vindicated police, who faced criticism for a six-minute response time. Kehoe said police took precautions on the possibility of more than one shooter.

"You drive up to the front window, you're going to be a victim," he said. "You don't want to be the first responder victim."

A state judge ruled Tuesday audio recordings of the 911 calls from Dec. 14 will be made public this week. Danbury attorneys Cohen & Wolf will release the 911 calls to the Newtown Police Department — but not to state police — Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.


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