Police Department
Monthly Report
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Police Department |
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James L. Cetran
Chief of Police
A Wethersfield Police Department Probationary Police Officer has completed ten weeks of basic training at the Connecticut Police Academy. Graduation is expected in March, 2008.
On Thursday, December 20, 2007 the Wethersfield Police Department Training Unit hosted the second day of six days of "Capital Region Police Recertification - Supervisor Program." This program is sponsored by the Connecticut Criminal Law Foundation and continues one day per month at WPD through April, 2008. This training was held in the Wethersfield Police Department Community Room.
On Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at about 12:30 PM the Wethersfield Police Department received a report that a male on Westwood Drive was attempting to break into a neighbor's shed. The complainant gave a description of both the male suspect and the car he was operating. A very short time later, prior to police arrival, the male suspect left the area in his car. A second witness, who had heard the incident on their police scanner, reported seeing the vehicle on Ridge Road. Officers located and stopped the suspect vehicle. The vehicle was unregistered and uninsured. The operator was placed under arrest after being positively identified as the male who was trying to break into the shed. The suspect was also wanted by two other police agencies on outstanding arrest warrants. The male suspect was held on Wethersfield Police charges and later transported to court.
On Thursday, December 13, 2007 a Wethersfield Police Officer, while on the Berlin Turnpike, saw a vehicle commit several moving violations. It was snowing at the time with poor roadway conditions. The officer stopped the vehicle. The officer spoke with the driver of the vehicle and it was found the driver had a suspended driver's license and was currently wanted by the Hartford Police Department on an outstanding warrant for Violation of Probation. The operator was placed under arrest and put into a police vehicle. At about this same time the passenger of the vehicle moved into the driver's seat and sped away. The officer followed this vehicle, at slow speeds due to the snow, until the operator lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The operator fled the scene on foot. A search of the area located the suspect. When the officers attempted to take the male into custody, the male fought with police. This male was also wanted by the Hartford Police Department on an outstanding warrant for Violation of Probation. The original operator was processed on the motor vehicle charges and turned over to the Hartford Police Department on their active arrest warrant. The passenger was held on Wethersfield Police charges to include Assault on a Police Officer and later transported to court.
In December, 2007 members of the Detective Bureau initiated or were assigned follow up to thirty-one new cases. Major case investigations include one robbery, ten burglaries, seven larcenies, two identity thefts, one sexual assault and an overdose death. Detectives also processed four pistol permit applications.
The ten burglaries is a major increase in activity and has required the Detective Division to take proactive steps to address the problem. These burglaries stretch from the Hartford line to the Rocky Hill town line with little to no apparent similarities.
On December 18, 2007 detectives responded to a reported armed robbery at a retail establishment located in the Jordan Lane Shopping Plaza located on the Berlin Turnpike. In this robbery a male entered the business near the close of business and demanded money from one of the employees. The male then left the business. Patrol and Detective Bureau units responded but were not able to locate the suspect. Detectives continue to investigate this incident.
During December, 2007 the School Resource Officer (SRO) investigated nine incidents including five larceny cases, one breach of peace incident and several trespass complaints. Several of the thefts occurred in the school locker rooms. The SRO issued one infractions ticket for the trespass violation.
The SRO was assigned to the Wethersfield High School on fewer than normal days this month due to the scheduled Winter Holiday Break.
The Wethersfield Police Department Juvenile Unit handled twenty-five incidents involving thirty-five juveniles. Five juveniles were arrested for criminal violations. All other juveniles were either turned over to their parents or diverted to other town programs.
In December, 2007 the Juvenile Unit investigated an incident involving a disturbance on a school bus involving four juveniles. With the aid of the parents of the involved juveniles, as well as members of the Town Juvenile Review Board, the juveniles were diverted from the juvenile justice system towards services that will help them in the future.
The Wethersfield Police Department Explorer post will begin preparation for upcoming stations days competitions by engaging in practical police based training over the course of the next few meetings.
In December, 2007 Wethersfield dispatchers received and handled 937 E-911 emergency phone calls. Per statute, the Support Services Bureau Commander provided the quarterly E-911 total call count report to the State of Connecticut, Department of Public Safety, Office of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications (OSET). For the quarter October 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007 dispatchers at the Wethersfield Police Department handled 2,482 E-911 calls.
In December, 2007 Wethersfield Dispatchers dispatched the Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance to twenty-five medical emergencies and Aetna Ambulance to 225 medical emergencies for a total of 250 medical emergencies.
In December, 2007 the WPD Child Seat Technician inspected/installed eleven child seats. The Support Services Bureau continues to receive requests via the Department web site as well as phone messages.
During December 2007, eighteen persons were taken into custody and held requiring 339 hours of incarceration. Of the persons held, twelve were arrested by warrant. Support Services personnel transported eighteen prisoners to court. Transported to court were thirteen males and five females.
The Wethersfield Police Department recently submitted their statistics in four categories to the Connecticut Police Chief's Association (CPCA) for the Holiday period Monday, December 24, 2007 (12:00 PM) through Tuesday, January 1, 2008 (Midnight). At the Wethersfield Police Department, each officer is working hard to reduce accidents, decrease speed and deter drunk driving. The Wethersfield Police Department reported the following activity to the CPCA:
| MV Stops | 279 |
| DUI Arrests | 3 |
| MV Accidents | 22 |
| MV fatalities | 0 |
In October, 2007 the Support Services Bureau Commander received a complaint of speeding on Back Lane. A traffic study was initiated and completed in late October/early November 2007. A speed monitoring device was placed on Back Lane for approximately two weeks during this time period. It appears that the maximum speeds listed were caused by only a few cars. During the time period of November 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007 the Police Department conducted selective enforcement on Back Lane a total of 16 different times. Approximately ten hours was spent doing selective enforcement on Back Lane. Enforcement included fourteen traffic stops, five speeding tickets, three written warnings for speed, one misdemeanor summons for No Insurance/ Suspended License, one ticket for hazardous operation, three verbal warnings for hazardous operation and one verbal warning for non-hazardous operation.
On Tuesday, December 4, 2007 two Wethersfield Police Department officers attended a training class entitled "Driving Simulator." This training is held in Newington, CT. This four hour training class includes one hour of classroom/ observation and three hours of practical driving simulator exercises. The class, hosted by the Capitol Region Chiefs of Police, includes an evaluation of driving skills and decision-making skills during routine and pursuit driving scenarios. On Tuesday, December 18, 2007 a third officer attended this same training class.
On Monday, December 10, 2007 a Wethersfield Police Department detective and officer attended the five-day "Police Officer Recertification Training." This training was held in Middletown, 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 Tuesday, December 11, 2007 two officers began attending a four day training class entitled "Field Training Officer Program." This training was held at the New Britain Police Department, New Britain, CT. This training allows students to become certified Field Training Officers. Training areas included FTO liability, standardized evaluation guidelines, remedial training and completion of daily observation reports.
On Thursday, December 13, 2007 a lieutenant and sergeant began attending a two day course entitled "ICS-400, Advanced Incident Command." Training was held at the Middletown Police Department, Middletown, CT. Objectives of this course included providing instruction on large-scale organization development, roles and relationships of primary staff, considerations related to large and complex incident or event management, area command and the importance of interagency coordination.
On Friday, December 14, two officers attended a one day training class entitled "The Bulletproof Mind - Psychological Preparation for Combat." This class was held at the Connecticut Police Academy, Meriden, CT. The instructor for this class was Lt. Col. (ret.) Dave Grossman. Grossman is a nationally known speaker and was a consultant in the Paducah school shooting and other major murder cases. The objective of this training program is to help understand officers' actions and behaviors prior to, during, and after crisis incidents.
A four hour NCIC / COLLECT recertification class for WPD personnel will be held on January 24, 2008. This course will be held in the WPD Community Room.
The 2008 Wethersfield Police Department Citizens Police Academy will be announced in January, 2008. The ten week class is expected to begin on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Students of the Citizens Academy will get an opportunity to learn from a Wethersfield Police Officer subjects such as Search & Seizure, Patrol Operations, Radar Enforcement, Juvenile Investigations, Legal Use of Force, Police Training, Accident Investigation, Use of Taser and SWAT Operations.
In December, 2007 emergency personnel were dispatched to a total of fifty-five alarms. Forty-seven were deemed to be chargeable alarms. Twenty-six locations were billed this month for violating the false alarm ordinance. Nine new alarm registrations were received from residents / businesses in the month of December. To date, there are a total of 982 locations with active alarm systems registered with the Police Department.
The following are the burglary and robbery statistics for the month of December, 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 | December 2006 | December 2007 |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Burglaries | 2 (0) | 10 (0) |
| Commercial Burglaries | 1 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Armed Robberies | 0 (0) | 1 (0) |
| Strong-arm Robberies | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
