Andrew Paterna
Role at the time: South Windsor deputy mayor
Statement summary
South Windsor Deputy Mayor Andrew Paterna said the move to remove the cameras is not about distrusting the town's police department but about a system that is becoming more and more invasive. CT Insider reported that most council members expressed support for the police department but said they were more concerned about mass surveillance.
“This is not about not trusting our police department, but it is about a system that is becoming more and more invasive”
Reports the October 5 council vote and quotes officials explaining their votes.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The reference point is whether South Windsor was right to remove its Flock cameras, so support for the removal counts as Defended or excused. Paterna says the decision is not about distrust of police but about a system that is becoming more and more invasive, which supports removal as right, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, because he first rejects the idea that the vote reflects distrust of police; he goes on to defend removal on surveillance grounds, so it loses.