We were disappointed in reading Watertown, CT Officer Donston's testimony (linked below) against the Police Accountability Bill and saddened to see that there was no room for conversation or dialogue. It was a non-starter, seemingly aggressive and unprofessional. Parts of the statement were taken out of context, exaggerated, and fearful.

Law enforcement, by nature, is responding to crime. This bill will not change that but will improve the interactions the police have with both the public and each other. Testimonies like Officer Donston's - generalizing marginalized communities, using aggressive wording without any room for dialogue, exaggerating situations without context, and imposing fear on the public - are why this bill needs to pass. Our intentions are the same: we want our community to be protected to the fullest extent, but that can’t be achieved when police officers are not being held accountable for their actions or held to the highest standards. This bill would ensure that our collective goal can be obtained. We urge Officer Donston to retract this testimony as it is misleading and divisive.

Sign this petition to urge Watertown School Resource Officer to retract this testimony, recognizing that this was not an appropriate statement coming from an individual claiming to represent Watertown and it's police department.

We, The Reflection Zone, support the Police Accountability Bill's goals - however, we would like to see it done without supplying additional funds to police departments.

Christopher Donston's Testimony​

Our Response + Urge​

Police Accountability Bill