Police Department
Monthly Report
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Police Department |
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James L. Cetran
Chief of Police
On Thursday, March 15, 2007 the Wethersfield Police Department Training Unit hosted a one day Supervisor Recertification class sponsored by the Connecticut Criminal Law Foundation. This training was held in the Wethersfield Police Department Community Room.
On Tuesday, March 20, 2007 the Wethersfield Police Department hired a Probationary Police Officer. This Probationary Police Officer received Department orientation training for four days. The officer began attending the Connecticut Police Academy on Monday, March 26, 2007. Graduation from the Academy is expected in August, 2007.
On Monday, March 26, 2007 Probationary Officers Elizabeth Taylor and Nuno Martins graduated from the 313th session of the Connecticut Police Academy, Basic Training, Meriden, Connecticut. They have begun the first phase of their twelve-week Field Training program.
On Sunday, March 25, 2007 a WPD patrol officer saw a male operating a motor vehicle on the Silas Deane Hwy. The male operator was known to the officer as well as the fact that his privilege to operate a motor vehicle had been suspended. The officer also knew that both the male operator, as well as the female owner of the vehicle, were drug abusers. When the officer turned her marked police vehicle around in order to stop the vehicle, she saw the male operator quickly accelerate and turn into a crowded restaurant parking lot. The vehicle was followed into the parking lot. The male operator parked the vehicle and ran from the vehicle into the nearby restaurant. The officer gave chase and caught up to the male inside the restaurant. The male stated to the officer that he had just flushed a quantity of narcotics down the toilet in the men's restroom.
The officer also spoke to the registered owner of the vehicle, identified as the girlfriend of the male operator, who was also working at that time at the restaurant. After speaking to the girlfriend, the officer found her in possession of loaded syringe as well as other drug paraphernalia. The contents of the syringe tested positive for heroin.
The male was arrested for several motor vehicle charges as well as Interfering with a Police Officer. The female was arrested and charged with Possession of Heroin, Interfering with a Police Officer and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
This month members of the Detective Bureau initiated or were assigned follow up to thirty-three new cases. The detectives are investigating three fraud cases, four burglaries, four identity thefts, two sexual assaults and three larceny cases, two suspicious deaths and one prostitution case. Detectives also completed five pistol permits applications.
On March 6, 2007 detectives responded to a reported suspicious death at a Berlin Turnpike area motel. It was discovered that the victim was a Hartford area resident. It is believed that the victim died of a drug overdose. Detectives are awaiting the results of the victim's toxicology tests. Investigation by detectives showed that an individual from the Hartford area had rented the room for the victim and had been under investigation for operating an illegal prostitution business from area motels. During the Department's investigation, search warrants were issued. During the search warrant of the suspect's home, detectives located evidence of his illegal prostitution business. The male suspect is facing further prostitution charges.
On March 27, 2007 WPD detectives responded to the report of a suspicious death at another Berlin Turnpike area motel. A lone white male was found deceased in a motel room. Upon processing the scene, detectives located evidence of narcotic use. An autopsy was conducted in which detectives were led to believe that the victim may have died of a cocaine induced heart attack. Again, detectives are awaiting the results of the toxicology tests.
The School Resource Officer (SRO) completed nine incident reports to include two narcotics arrests, one juvenile referral for vandalism, one trespassing complaint, one suspicious situation and two larcenies. Two infraction tickets for simple trespass and one infraction ticket for creating a public disturbance were issued.
The SRO also investigated other incidents including complaints of students skipping school, lost property and problems between students. Mediation techniques were used to assist many students both on and off school grounds. The SRO also was interviewed by three students for class projects and a school newspaper article. Finally, the SRO participated in the Freshman Experience program explaining the law to students and the consequences of poor decision making.
There were eleven juveniles referred to this unit during the month of March, 2007 for various criminal acts and violations. Nine juveniles were referred to juvenile court and the remaining were either diverted to their parents or school without any further police involvement, or their cases are still pending. This unit was responsible for the initial investigation or follow up of eight new cases.
The WPD Explorers held two training meetings during the month of March, 2007. The first meeting was a practical walkthrough of DWI investigation techniques while the second was an overview of crime scene investigation.
During the month of March, 2007 Wethersfield dispatchers received and handled 837 E-911 emergency phone calls. Wethersfield dispatchers dispatched the Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance and Aetna Ambulance to a total of 228 medical emergencies.
During March 2007, nineteen persons were taken into custody and held requiring 333 hours of incarceration. Of the persons held, all were arrested by warrant. Support Services personnel transported nineteen prisoners to court. Transported to court were fifteen males and four females. The four females incarcerated by the Department required 65 hours of matron coverage.
The Support Services Bureau Commander continues to receive requests for added and/or replacement street signs. Twelve work orders were completed for new signs and/or replacement signs throughout Wethersfield. Some of the work orders included the removal of graffiti from three existing stop signs at the intersection of Fairmont Street and Church Place, the repositioning of the existing combination "Speed Limit/Slow Children at Play" sign on Fairmont Street, the replacement of the faded stop sign on Spruce Street at Folly Brook Blvd., the installation of fourteen "No Parking Anytime" signs on Folly Brook Blvd. near Spruce Street and the installation of a 12" X 12" fluorescent yellow-green with black border "School Advance Warning" sign on Church Place near Church Street.
On Monday, March 5, 2007 a detective and a patrol officer attended the five day "Police Officer Recertification Training." This training was held in Manchester, CT. This forty hour class is mandatory every three years to keep officers certified in the State of Connecticut. The training encompasses a wide variety of topics including ICS training, PRAWN training, legal updates, bias crimes, patrol procedures, juvenile law and domestic violence laws.
On Monday, March 5, 2007 a detective began attending a five day training class entitled "Intermediate Crime Scene Processing." Training was held at the Connecticut Police Academy, Meriden, CT. This detective had previously attended the Basic Crime Scene Processing class in January, 2007. Course objectives include lifting latent prints from unusual surfaces, locating and collecting trace evidence, learning casting methods and preparing a case for court.
On Tuesday, March 6, 2007 a WPD canine officer, along with his canine, Hunter, attended a one day training class entitled "Police Canine/ Police Canine Handler Training." The canine officer and Hunter participated in this monthly canine training with several other area law enforcement canine teams. Training included evidence recovery and tracking.
On Thursday, March 8, 2007 the Detective Bureau Commander attended a one-day training class entitled "Due Process: Internal Affairs Investigations." Training was held at the Connecticut Police Academy, Meriden, CT. Instructional objectives included developing an understanding of civil and labor relations laws and to provide a systematic procedure for receiving and documenting investigative cases.
On Monday, March 12, 2007 a WPD detective attended a five-day training class entitled "Cold Case Investigation." Training was held at the Henry Lee Institute, University of New Haven, West Haven, CT. Training objectives included investigative techniques for cold case homicides and serious assaults.
On Sunday, March 18, 2007 a detective, in cooperation and with the assistance of the Town Fire Marshal's Office, began attending a six-day training class entitled "Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Specialist." Training was held at the United States Fire Administration's National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD. Training objectives include identification, intact, interview, determining intervention strategy, fire, and life safety education, referral to mental health or juvenile justice and evaluation regarding juvenile fire setters.
On Tuesday, March 20, 2007 a dispatcher began attending a two-day training class entitled "Simulation-Based Critical Incident Training for Emergency Response Dispatchers." Training was held at the Connecticut Police Academy, Meriden, CT. Training objectives include listing the seven Critical Tasks to be accomplished during the initial phase of an incident, performing those tasks in a simulated environment, describing the NIMS/ICS function during an incident, describing critical incidents and how command shifts take place as the incident progresses, observing the impact of obtaining critical information from multiple sources and making decisions regarding relaying that information appropriately to the field. This training was also attended by three other dispatchers on separate dates the weeks of March 20 and March 26, 2007.
On Tuesday, March 27, 2007 Chief James Cetran and the Detective Bureau Commander attended the "Capital Region Chief's of Police Recertification" training held in Rocky Hill, CT. This recertification program, which is required every three years, is open to Chiefs of Police and Second in Command Officers only. This month's topics include crimes motivated by bigotry and bias, racial profiling and executive / supervisory liability. This course is held one day per month, concluding May, 2007.
During March, 2007 WPD Child Seat Technicians installed twenty-eight child seats. The Support Services Bureau continues to receive requests via the WPD web site as well as conventional phone messages. Due to the high demand for this service, it is possible that we will ask the Health District to help participate with these child seat installations in the near future.
Support Services Bureau officers continue to address citizen complaints involving traffic, parking and speed issues. Citizens had complained of a variety of different violations on various town streets and a several town schools. Support Service Bureau officers conducted selective enforcement at several schools, including Webb School on March 1, 2007, Charles Wright School on March 19, 2007, Wethersfield High School on March 1, 2007 and March 15, 2007 and Highcrest School on March 22, 23 and 29, 2007. Citations and warnings were issued.
The Wethersfield Police Department, Training Unit, will be hosting one day of the Capital Region Police Recertification - Supervisor Program. This course will be held in the WPD Community Room on April 5, 2007.
Annual CPR/ AED, Airborne/ Bloodborne Pathogen and First Aid training is scheduled for April, 2007.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to a total of ninety-eight alarms during the month of March, 2007 of which eighty-six were deemed to be chargeable alarms. Twenty locations were billed this month for violating the false alarm ordinance. Twenty-four new alarm registrations were received from residents and businesses in March, 2007. To date, there are a total of 777 locations with active alarm systems registered with the police department.
The following are the burglary and robbery statistics for the month of March, 2007 along with comparative statistics for the same period of last year. The figures in the parenthesis represent the number of cases cleared by arrest, or in which the perpetrators have been identified.
| Criminal Activity | March 2006 | March 2007 |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Burglaries | 5 (2) | 3 (1) |
| Commercial Burglaries | 11 (0) | 1 (0) |
| Armed Robberies | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Strong-arm Robberies | 3 (3) | 0 (0) |
