5 COPS HAVE 5 DAYS TO FIGHT SUSPENSIONS

MILFORD -- Five police officers given suspensions for their handling
of a prisoner who later died in custody have up to five days to
decide if they want to file a grievance, a union representative said Monday.

Sgt. Jeff Matchett, president of the Milford Police Union Local 899,
said the officers have five business days from receiving the
suspension notice to decide if they want to fight the move. Police
Chief Keith Mello announced the one-day, unpaid suspensions last
Friday while releasing a report of the department's internal
investigation into the death of Nicholas Brown, 24, of Stratford.

"I will meet with the suspended officers in the near future and it
will be their choice if they want to pursue a grievance," Matchett
said. "The union will defend each and every member that does wish to
pursue a grievance. My own personal opinion is that the discipline
was excessive."

The five officers were each suspended for policy violations
discovered during the internal investigation into Brown's death,
including a sergeant who failed to call paramedics when he first
learned that the prisoner was hallucinating. The suspended officers
include Sgt. Kenneth Walewski, Officer Jeffrey Cortes, Officer John
Kranyak, Lt. Victor Daniels and Lt. Joseph Pietrafesa.

Brown died on Oct. 19 from "cocaine toxicity," about five hours
after being shot three times with a stun gun in the parking lot of
the Red Roof Inn on Rowe Avenue. At the time of his arrest, he told
police officers he had swallowed "roaches," a term used for
partially smoked marijuana cigarettes.

Officials with the Chief State Medical Examiner's Office later
determined Brown's death was the result of a cocaine overdose.