By Charles Stannard

ESSEX— The board of selectmen Wednesday acted to close the dispute over a police dog with a motion declaring the town “has never obligated itself in any manner in connection with a police canine unit.”

The issue arose at a Sept. 2 meeting where Republican Selectman Vince Pacileo confirmed that Democratic First Selectman Phil Miller had paid gasoline expenses last January for officer Sal Bevilacqua to travel to Ohio to pick up a German Sheppard. Bevilacqua paid $600 from his own funds to acquire the dog and has been keeping it at his Deep River residence during the succeeding months. The board of selectmen had received a presentation on a possible police canine unit last December, but never formally authorized the acquisition and training of a police dog.

The motion, approved on a 2-1 vote with Pacileo opposed, notes the dog “has never been accepted and/or placed in to town service,” and the town has “never obligated itself for compensation of any kind” in connection with Bevilacqua’s “personal pet.” It declares that Bevilacqua “apparently misunderstood these circumstances when it should have been clear to him that he and his pet were never going to be trained and accepted in to town service.”

Pacileo, who unsuccessfully attempted to insert his own account of the Sept. 2 meeting in to the board’s offiical meeting minutes, said the motion was “frankly fiction,” because Miller had referred to a town police dog in a letter of appreciation sent after the town accepted free medical checks of the dog from the Essex Veterinary Clinic.

In response to a question from Pacileo about any possible claim for compensation, Bevilacqua said “it’s been left to my attorney and the town’s attorney and that’s all I was advised to say about it.” Bevilacqua said after the meeting he has retained New Haven lawyer Alphonse Balzano to represent him and has submitted a claim to the town for compensation of expenses related to the dog. Bevilacqua declined to specify the amount of his request for compensation.

But Miller said any claim from Bevilacqua would be not be honored by the town. “He’s not entitled,” Miller said.

Bevilacqua said he plans to keep the dog even if there is no compensation from the town. “It wouldn’t be fair for him to end up in the pound because of all this,” he said.

By Charles Stannard

ESSEX– The Board of Selectmen clashed Wednesday over a prospective police dog that was acquired by a town officer without a formal authorization from the board.

The issue was placed on the agenda by Republican Selectman Vincent Pacileo, who questioned Officer Sal Bevilacqua about the status of the dog that Bevilacqua picked up from a breeder in Ohio last January. Pacileo contended that Democratic First Selectman Phil Miller had acted on his own to initiate a police K9 program because he allowed the town to pay for Bevilacqua’s gasoline expenses for a 12-hour ride to Ohio to pick up the dog. “Clearly this is a town dog and you know what dogs can do,” he said. “There is a liability here either expressed or implied.”

The board had received a presentation from town officers on a possible police K9 program at a meeting last December. Pacileo and Democratic Selectman Norman Needleman expressed concerns about the cost of the program during a tight budget year, and there were no votes taken to authorize a local police K9 program.

But Bevilacqua travelled to Ohio in January to pick up the German Shepherd named Primo, and has been keeping the dog at his residence in Deep River. The dog has been treated at the Essex Veterinary Hospital, with Miller sending a letter to Veterinarian Robert Olsen offering thanks for helping “to take care of our newest police recruit, Primo the alsatien puppy.”

Under questioning from Pacileo, Bevilacqua said he spent $600 in personal funds to acquire the dog, and believed the dog would eventually be sent for police K9 training sponsored by the town.

But Bevilacqua, who was hired as one of the town’s four police officers in 2007, also acknowledged that he “can’t recall any commitment” from the First Selectman that Essex would start a police K9 program. Bevilacqua said he has also incurred additional personal expenses from keeping the dog at his residence over the past eight months.

Needleman said he “was never comfortable with the idea of getting a dog,” and suggested that Bevilacqua should have understood “the town was not going to assume any liability for this dog.” Needleman urged Bevilacqua to present a formal claim for reimbursement if he believes the town owes him for expenses related to the dog. Bevilacqua said after the meeting he is considering the option of making a claim to the town for reimbursement of expenses related to the dog.

Miller said Thursday he had “erred in judgement” by having the town pay for Bevilacqua’s gasoline expenses for the ride to Ohio to pick up the dog. He said the Board of Selectmen would consider any claim for reimbursement made by Bevilacqua. “I’ll do whatever I can to try and make this right,” he said.