Waterbury Police Endorse DeStefano

June 23, 2006

Union leaders - representing 300 officers - to hold news conference.

New Haven - John DeStefano, Democratic candidate for governor, stood with Waterbury police officers on Wednesday June 21st and publicly accepted the endorsement of their police union, AFSCME Council 15 Local 1237 - representing 300 Waterbury police officers.

"John DeStefano's public safety record in New Haven is remarkable," said Paul Ariola, president of Local 1237 and the state-wide AFSCME Council 15. "He's cut crime by 40-percent and he's done it by working with his police department - consistently investing in equipment and training to ensure New Haven has one of the best community policing programs in the state. He's protected binding arbitration and always treated his officers with respect, not surprising since his father was a cop."

"Our endorsement also speaks to what his priorities are as governor," continued Ariola. "DeStefano's commitment to universal health care, a moral minimum wage, and issues that affect working families is what separates him from the rest of the field. Starting today we'll be working hard to make sure John DeStefano is our next governor."

DeStefano thanked Ariola and the officers for their support and pledged to stand up for first responders when he's elected governor. "A challenge that cities across the state face is the steady erosion of federal and state support for local law enforcement. Not including homeland security funds, direct state and federal grants to the New Haven Police Department totaled more than $2.6 million five years ago. In 2005 we received just more than $1 million, a decrease of 60%."

"As governor, I would not only put more cops on the street, I would implement a real prisoner re-entry program," said DeStefano. "Inmates are being dropped off in our communities with no place to live, no ability to even read a job application, and no real supervision. It's no wonder so many of these ex-offenders end up victimizing more innocent families. As governor, I'll do something about it."

DeStefano has been endorsed by 40 labor organizations representing more than 160,000 working men and women. He is also the first gubernatorial candidate to ever be endorsed in a primary by the AFL-CIO and the only Democratic candidate in Connecticut to have raised more than $3.4 million.