You asked for general information about the Connecticut Valley Hospital's (CVH) police and fire departments, including their history and responsibilities.

SUMMARY

CVH has had its own internal police and fire departments for the past 100 years, according to Paul Derdeyn, CVH legislative liaison. The police department has two units, the Whiting Forensic Division (WFD) unit and the CVH unit. The size of the units has varied over the years, but both units currently have a combined staff of 41, including 36 sworn officers. The police officers are considered employees of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DHMAS), which operates CVH. The police department responds to emergency incidents and performs investigations.

The fire department responds to fires and organizes fire drills. The size of the fire department has remained stable, with a total of 24 firefighters. There are two full-time employees―a fire chief and an assistant fire chief. The rest are volunteers employed by CVH in other capacities.

Both the police and fire departments respond to incidents at CVH, Riverview Hospital, and the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS) in Middletown. Both departments are assisted by the local police and fire departments. The police department may also get help from the State Police when it lacks the resources or ability to handle investigations. The service demands for the police and fire departments have increased substantially over time.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Organization

CVH has had an internal police force for the past 100 years. Until 1995, the Whiting Forensic Institute was a separate facility and maintained its own police force. In 1995, the Whiting Forensic Institute was renamed the Whiting Forensic Division (WFD) of the Connecticut Valley Hospital (PA 95-257, CGS §§ 17a-560 to 576). When the facility was incorporated into CVH, the units were centralized under CVH and WFD officers came under CVH jurisdiction.

Currently, the WFD unit is located at the forensic sciences building on O'Brien Drive; the CVH unit is located on campus at Shew Hall. The number of personnel in both units has varied over the years. The CVH unit now has 14 sworn officers, and the WFD unit has 22 sworn and five non-sworn personnel. All of the officers are considered employees of DMHAS, which operates CVH. They are assigned to the units based on a yearly shift bid, which is based on seniority. Currently, the officer-patient ratio is 1: 12. 5.

The officers carry pepper spray, batons, and handcuffs. They do not carry firearms.

Responsibilities

Police officers at both the CVH and WFD units are responsible for ensuring the safety of staff and hospital wards. They are also responsible for (1) coordinating searches of missing patients and (2) responding to emergencies, including situations in which patients are in danger of harming themselves or others. The CVH unit also provides services at the Department of Children and Family Services' (DCF) Riverview Hospital facility, which is located on CVH property, and CJTS.

Officers are specially trained to address patient needs. All are required to attend a behavioral management strategies training program.

The CVH unit operates and staffs a communications center with state-certified 9-1-1 operators. The operators follow dispatch protocols designed by PowerPhone, a crisis communication center in Madison, Connecticut, with some modifications to meet the needs of the facility. Each police unit responds to calls within its area of expertise and supports the other unit through a unified command-response system.

Investigations

The WFD and CVH units are field units which are centralized under DHMAS's Division of Safety. The Division of Safety operates a Central Investigations Unit. WFD and CVH units can conduct investigations. However, they refer some investigations to Central Investigations. These include preliminary investigations; follow-up investigations; and criminal and non-criminal, complex, serious, or sensitive investigations. The units may also refer investigations to the local or State Police when they lack the ability or resources to handle the investigation on their own.

Last year, the CVH unit conducted 548 incident investigations, made 75 arrests, and responded to 191 emergency investigations. On average, this unit responds to more incident investigations than emergency investigations.

Last year, the WFD unit conducted 35 investigations, made nine arrests, and responded to 186 emergencies. On average, this unit responds to more emergency investigations than incident investigations.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

The fire department consists of two full-time employees―a fire chief and an assistant fire chief. There are 22 other volunteer members employed by the hospital in different capacities. The hospital pays them a stipend for their services. The size of the department has remained the same over the years.

The department is located in the center of campus in the Cotter building. It is responsible for organizing fire drills, responding to fires, and promoting fire safety.

The department has two fire engines for responding to fires and emergencies and one 1954 fire engine that is used only for parades. It has full turn-out gear including axes, flame retardant boots, flashlights, helmets, and self-contained breathing apparatus. It does not have emergency medical service trucks.

The department also provides services to Riverview Hospital and the CJTS. Use of the fire department has increased substantially with the addition of these two facilities.

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