The Daily Five: Light News, Canned Responses, Comments on Cops, and Breakfast with Chris Murphy

1. Today's going to be very cloudy and there's a 60 percent chance of rain, according to Weather.com, which is predicting showers off and on throughout the day and steady rain this evening. It's going to be warmer though, with a high of 57 degrees and an overnight low of 41 degrees. 

2. I don't know if any of you showed up at Old Lyme's 14th annual tree lighting ceremony on Friday only to be disappointed, as I was, to find all the lights were out and no one was home at Town Hall but if you did, don't worry. The event was postponed because of the rain but it's been rescheduled for this Friday, December 14, at 4 p.m., with a carol sing and hot cocoa for everyone.  

Niantic's Light Parade was held as scheduled on Sunday night despite the slightly miserable weather and a good crowd turned out for it too. If you missed it, you'll be able to catch some of the highlights in a video that will pop up on Patch at 5:30 a.m. today. 

3. Tis the season of giving and if you'd like to help out local folks in need, the Lymes' Senior Center's food pantry is running low on canned goods, particularly soup and tuna, juice, coffee, and tea. Please drop off donations at the Lymes' Senior Center, 26 Town Woods Road in Old Lyme. Everything goes to local seniors.

4. Connecticut's newest Senator Christopher S. Murphy will be in our area tomorrow for a special breakfast program organized by The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut. This is a good opportunity for local businesses to get to know Murphy and to find out what his plans are going forward. The event will be held at 7:45 a.m. at 10 Laura Boulevard in Norwich. Tickets are $17 for members, $25 for nonmembers, although there will be an additional $5 walk-in fee if you don't buy tickets today. Call (860) 701-9113 for more information.

5. The Connecticut American Civil Liberties Union's report on police responses to civilian complaints happens, perhaps not so coincidentally, to have been released just as a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) were due to arrive. The assessors arrived yesterday to examine all aspects of the Connecticut State Police policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services. 

Connecticut State Police have been reaccredited every three years since 1988. As part of the on-site assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments by calling (877) 310-3630 today from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards.

(A copy of the standards is available at the DESPP Headquarters, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT. Local contact is Lt. Marianne Daly, Connecticut State Police Accreditation Unit at 203-630-4357.)     

If you'd prefer to submit comments about the Connecticut State Police’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation/recognition in writing, the mailing address is: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc., 13575 Heathcote Blvd Ste 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155 or email calea@calea.org.