ACLU Calls For SWAT Oversight Following Stamford Shooting Death

STAMFORD, Conn. -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut is calling for increased oversight and reporting requirements of SWAT units following the death of a man who was shot by police in Stamford Monday night.

A Stamford police cruiser blocked Wedgemere Street Tuesday afternoon, where a 25-year-old man was shot by police.
Photo Credit: *Jay Polansky*

Casey Donahue

03/22/2016 3:30 p.m.

Dylan Pape, 25, was fatally shot by two Stamford police officers Monday night on Wedgemere Road in Stamford. The Stamford Police Department SWAT Team responded to the home on a report of a male with a gun threatening someone, according to police. After an hourlong negotiation with police, Pape was shot and taken to Stamford Hospital, where he died of his injuries, police said.

“We do not know what happened to Dylan Pape, and we have no assurances, under Connecticut law, that we ever will," said David McGuire, Legislative and Policy Director for the ACLU of Connecticut. "Connecticut residents need and deserve transparency about how, when, and why police use SWAT units."

Though McGuire said in a statement that Pape was killed in his home, Stamford Police Association President Sean Boeger said that the incident took place outside, and that SWAT units did not enter the home.

According to the ACLU of Connecticut, the Connecticut General Assembly considered a bill last year that would have required police SWAT unit reporting and oversight. That bill failed on a tie vote of 22-22 in the Judiciary Committee, the ACLU said. McGuire said that the state should pass legislation to provide comprehensive SWAT oversight.

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