Residents split on Danbury proposal to let DACA recipients, permanent residents apply for police

During the public comment period at the Sept. 1 council meeting, numerous residents urged the council to approve item 10, which would allow lawful permanent residents and DACA recipients to apply for Danbury police positions.

Ken Gucker opened public comment by urging support for item 5 (Marjorie Trail) and then residents turned to item 10. Chief Patrick Ridenhauer explained the change in state certification rules and asked the council to align local hiring eligibility with POST. “I learned the citizenship requirement had actually been removed in 2020, and that permanent legal residents were eligible to be police officers in the State,” he said, noting that POST later extended eligibility to DACA recipients.

Residents who supported the change framed it as both practical and moral. Lawrence Riefberg said the military and other services already accept noncitizen service when qualified and urged a yes vote. Representing himself as a lifelong resident, Justin Chan said opposing the measure would “deny our most disenfranchised members of this community the opportunity to serve.” Barley Santos described personal family experience and the lost opportunity he faced years ago when he could not serve because of immigration status and urged council members to “dig deep into your own morality.”

Other speakers asked the council to document safeguards before voting. Michelle Coelho requested written legal authority permitting DACA officers to possess and carry firearms, and asked whether corporation counsel had produced an analysis on staffing and emergency policies. Lorraine Herger warned about the difficulty of verifying records from some foreign countries and urged an explicit vetting plan.

The council closed public comment after those and other remarks and proceeded to the ordinance discussion and vote.