Chief State’s Attorney Meeting

Minutes of the Meeting of April 5, 2023

The meeting was called to order at 12:48 p.m. by Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin.

Also present: Deputy Chief State’s Attorney of Operations Kevin D. Lawlor, Deputy Chief State’s Attorney of Administration, Personnel and Finance John J. Russotto, Deputy Chief State’s Attorney, Inspector General Robert J. Devlin, Jr., State’s Attorneys Margaret E. Kelley (Ansonia/Milford), David R. Applegate (Danbury), Joseph T. Corradino, (Fairfield), Sharmese L. Walcott (Hartford), David R. Shannon (Litchfield), Michael A. Gailor (Middlesex), Christian M. Watson (New Britain), John P. Doyle, Jr. (New Haven), Paul J. Narducci (New London), Paul J. Ferencek (Stamford/Norwalk), Matthew C. Gedansky (Tolland), Maureen T. Platt (Waterbury), and Anne F. Mahoney (Windham).

Also Present: Executive Assistant State’s Attorneys Lisa M. D’Angelo, Gail P. Hardy and Brett Salafia, Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorneys David Kutzner and Vincent Duva, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Kathryn W. Bare, Chief Inspector Frederick P. Haddad Jr., Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Timothy J. Sugrue, Legislative Liaison Anne Cournoyer, Manager of Research and Planning Kyle Baudoin and Marisa DePhillips, Executive Secretary to the Chief State’s Attorney.

State’s Attorney Platt moved to accept the minutes of the March 8, 2023 meeting. State’s Attorney Applegate seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

Chief State’s Attorney Griffin and Anne Cournoyer, Legislative Liaison, reported that during the latest legislative session, the Division submitted 11 bills, seven of which were voted out of committees, and wrote testimony related to 26 bills. Chief State’s Attorney Griffin thanked the State’s Attorneys for their timely efforts in reviewing and addressing more than 4,000 pending cases that carry a charge of illegal possession of a cannabis-type substance pursuant to Section 21a-279(a)(1) or 21a-279a, work that resulted in 1,562 defendants having their cases eliminated.

Executive Assistant State’s Attorney Hardy said summer interns would start in June and reported that social media policies and confidentiality agreements for the interns were distributed to the State’s Attorneys for review.

Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Russotto reported that the Criminal Justice Commission at their April 3, 2023 meeting selected Deputy Assistant State’s Attorneys for the Judicial District of Middlesex and the Judicial District of New London, Geographical Area (G.A.) 10 and a Special Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney. He reported that the next Commission meetings are scheduled for April 17 and May 15, 2023.

Executive Assistant State’s Attorney D’Angelo provided an update on recent training being held at the Division, including the upcoming Deputy Assistant State’s Attorneys Boot Camp at the end of April. She also discussed plans for a summer Division of Criminal Justice camp for young people and a State’s Attorney’s detective school that focuses on the intersection of work between police and prosecutors.

State’s Attorney Gailor provided an update on upcoming training from the National District Attorneys Association, reporting that the NDAA is considering setting up regional training centers to make it easier for people to attend certain sessions. He said he is working with Association members on a position paper regarding a recent plea bargaining study and that the NDAA 2023 Summer Summit would be held in Nashville, Tennessee on July 10-11, 2023. State’s Attorney Gailor also reported that April 23-29, 2023 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and that he recently spoke with the Office of Victim Services regarding programming the office is planning to share with the Division.

Chief State’s Attorney Griffin reported on the status of the Division’s new prosecutorial standards, saying that he recently met with union members to discuss the standards and all agreed on making minor changes to the document.

State’s Attorney Walcott recognized Executive Assistant State’s Attorney D’Angelo’s extensive efforts in expanding training opportunities at the Division. State’s Attorney Walcott also discussed upcoming events being held by a newly formed women’s council at the Division.

State’s Attorney Gailor moved to go into Executive Session. The motion was seconded by Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Russotto and it passed unanimously.

No motions were made or votes taken during the executive session. There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made by Chief State’s Attorney Griffin and seconded by Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Russotto. The meeting was adjourned at 3:05 p.m.