Politics & Government

Sandy Hook Advisory Commission to Discuss State 12/14 Report

The commission will hear a report from the Connecticut Police Chiefs' association on police response on the morning of Dec. 14.

Gov. Dannel Malloy's Sandy Hook Advisory Commission will review local and state law enforcement response on Dec. 14, along with State Attorney Stephen Sedensky's conclusive report on the shooting, Malloy's office announced Wednesday.

It will be the first meeting for the group since August, when the group discussed updates in school security. The pace of the group's meetings had slowed to once a month since releasing their interim report on the shooting in March.

When Malloy formed the group, he described their mission as "making sure this never happens again."

"We don’t yet know the underlying cause behind this tragedy, and we probably never will," Malloy said in January. "But that can’t be an excuse for inaction.  I want the commission to have the ability to study every detail, so they can help craft meaningful legislative and policy changes."

The state's attorney's report, released in November, did not provide any conclusions on those underlying causes. But Sedensky's report was intended as a "final word" on the shooting, the Danbury attorney said in his conclusion.

"The obvious question that remains is: 'Why did the shooter murder twenty-seven people, including twenty children?'" he wrote. "Unfortunately, that question may never be answered conclusively, despite the collection of extensive background information on the shooter through a multitude of interviews and other sources. The evidence clearly shows that the shooter planned his actions, including the taking of his own life, but there is no clear indication why he did so, or why he targeted Sandy Hook Elementary School."

The commission will review the report after hearing a presentation from the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association regarding the law enforcement response, Malloy's office said.

Earlier this month, a CPCA report concluded Newtown police had responded appropriately to the shooting. Some media reports had provoked criticism of police for what was perceived as a slow response time, but CPCA peer reviewers said police were taking all factors into consideration as they entered the building on Dec. 14.

"Our evaluation showed that the officers of the Newtown Police Department navigated the inevitable chaos created in the first few minutes of such a call, managed to piece together what was occurring, but were unable to intervene before the shooter took his own life," wrote the police chiefs who assembled the report.

Chaired by Hamden mayor Scott Jackson, the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission includes a variety of representatives from law enforcement, mental health, education, government and the non-profit realm. Former Newtown State Rep. Chris Lyddy and Newtown Middle School teacher Ron Chiminski also sit on the commission.


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