Police Department
Monthly Report
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Police Department |
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James L. Cetran
Chief of Police
On Wednesday, March 19, 2008 members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Quality Assurance Review Unit were on-site to review the Department's crime classification methods and submission procedures to the State of Connecticut, Department of Public Safety and the FBI. This process involved interviews of Records Personnel as well as a quality assurance review of our reports. The Wethersfield Police Department met all of the twenty-three UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting) standards assessed by the FBI QAR Unit. Additionally, the Department scored in the FBI QAR's highest (best) category for Records Management Assessment.
On Tuesday, March 25, 2008, Probationary Police Officer John Blair completed the 318th session of basic training at the Connecticut Police Academy and has begun his first phase of the twelve week Field Training program. Officer Blair's Academy Graduation is scheduled for April 2, 2008.
On Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at about 12:00 PM a patrol officer was dispatched to the area of Hanmer School on the report of a male harassing students who were playing on the playground. Officers previously knew that an elderly male had been seen in the past riding his bicycle around the school during school hours. As the officer arrived he was told that this male was now trying to enter the locked school. The officer saw many children out in the playground and this male standing near the school's main doors. As the officer approached the male, he saw that the male had his hand on a pouch attached to his belt that contained at least two knives. At this point the officer was unsure of this male's intent and why he was trying to get into the school. The officer reported that the male looked agitated. The officer began to question the male and at the same time, attempted to remove the knives from the male's belt so that they would not be used as a weapon. The male struggled and then fought to keep the knives. The officer did not know if the male was trying to keep the knife or to take the knife out of the pouch to use against him. A second officer arrived to see the officer and the male fighting for the knife. After a brief struggle the two officers were able to handcuff the male and take him into custody. The officers later found that this male had been warned not to go on school property during school hours as he scared the young children. The male had returned to school property this day when a teacher told him to leave and he refused. The male was attempting to enter the school to speak with an administrator.
On Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at about 4:00 PM an officer was dispatched to Millwoods Park on a report of a vehicle with two occupants that were observed operating erratically in the park and were now parked in the lot believed to be smoking marijuana. The officer found the vehicle and spoke with the two occupants. The officer smelled marijuana emanating from the vehicle. While speaking to the operator, she stated that there may be some marijuana in the vehicle. The officers located a small amount of marijuana and placed the operator under arrest. A subsequent search revealed a marijuana smoking "bowl," rolling papers and two bags of marijuana. The officer believed that the marijuana and money surrounding the marijuana were packaged in a way that they operator was selling the marijuana. The operator was placed under arrest and transported to Police Headquarters to be processed.
In March, 2008 members of the Detective Bureau initiated or were assigned follow up to thirty-seven new cases. Major case investigations include two burglaries, four larcenies, one identity theft and four frauds. Detectives also conducted eleven pistol permit and background investigations.
On Tuesday, March 4, 2008 members of the Department, including Detective Bureau personnel, responded to a reported armed robbery at a commercial establishment located on the Berlin Turnpike. The robbery was committed by two light skinned males wearing masks and displaying a silver automatic handgun. The suspects were able to get away with a determinate amount of cash. Detectives are working with area departments on similar robberies.
During the month of March, 2008 the School Resource Officer (SRO) completed eleven case reports. These reports included three larcenies, one lost property report, one vandalism report, two disorderly conduct reports, one assault report, one missing person report, one threatening report and one trespass complaint. The SRO also mediated a situation involving four students in connection with the two disorderly conduct complaints.
During the month, the SRO attended three training seminars with two of the seminars school safety and security related.
Finally, on March 26, 2008 the SRO participated as a speaker at the current Department's Citizens Police Academy.
The Wethersfield Police Department Juvenile Unit investigated twenty-eight incidents involving forty-seven juveniles. In these incidents, two juveniles were arrested for criminal violations. Among the involved juveniles, five juveniles were diverted to their parents while two were diverted to the Town Social & Youth Services Department.
The Wethersfield Police Explorers continue to prepare for CT Police Explorer Stations Day which is scheduled for May 10th, 2008. With the aid of several Wethersfield Police Officers who volunteered their personal time, the Juvenile Detective/ Explorer Advisor organized a practical exercise regarding motor vehicle and felony stops.
In cooperation with the Town Social & Services Department, members of the Juvenile Unit are participating in a new police and youth related event through the Crossroads Program at Silas Deane Middle School. The program, Police Adventures Crossroads, is designed to expose middle school aged Wethersfield youths to police officers in an informal environment. Youths and police officers will work together in activities that will stress teamwork, leadership skills, and community service values. Youths will also be exposed to practical police related situations in which they will have to be police officers. This program begins in April and continues through May, 2008.
In March, 2008 Wethersfield Dispatchers received and handled 806 E-911 emergency phone calls. As in the past and in order to be in compliance with state law, the Support Services Bureau Commander provided the quarterly E-911 total call count report to the State of CT Dept. of Public Safety, Office of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications. For the quarter first quarter of 2008, Dispatchers at the Wethersfield Police Department handled 2,354 E-911 calls.
Wethersfield Dispatchers dispatched the Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance to thirty-seven medical emergencies and Aetna Ambulance to 260 medical emergencies for a total of 297 medical emergencies.
In February, 2008 the WPD Child Seat Technician inspected/installed twelve child seats. The Support Services Bureau continues to receive requests via the Department web site as well as phone messages.
In March, 2008 there were twenty-two calls involving animal control issues. Of those calls, ten were handled by an Animal Control Officer and twelve were handled by police officers.
In March 2008, seventeen persons were taken into custody and held requiring 553 hours of incarceration. Of the seventeen persons held, eleven were arrested by warrant. Support Services personnel transported seventeen prisoners to court to include fifteen males and two females. The two females incarcerated by the Department required 106 hours of matron coverage.
Support Service Bureau officers continue to address citizen complaints involving traffic, parking violations and other motor vehicle violations. Citizens regularly complain of a variety of different violations on various town streets and several town schools. To address these complaints, officers performed selective enforcement at numerous locations throughout town. Officers performed selective enforcement seventeen times and spent a total of eleven hours doing selective enforcement on various roads in town.
The Support Services Bureau Commander continues to receive requests for added or replacement street signs. Several work orders were completed for new or replacement signs throughout Wethersfield. These work orders include installing four new "Fire Lane - No Parking Anytime" sign placards onto the nort hside of the Silas Deane Middle School, replacing seventeen "No Parking Mon - Fri 8 AM - 6 PM Except Sundays & Holidays" on State Street, installing seven "No Parking Anytime" signs on Hewitt Street along the southbound curb and removing the "No Parking Anytime" sign directly in front of the Board of Education building, 127 Hartford Avenue.
On Tuesday, March 4, 2008 the Support Services Bureau Commander attended a one day class entitled "Executive - Command Leadership." This training was held at the Connecticut Police Academy, Meriden, CT. Instructional objectives include the philosophy, principles and tactics successful leaders use to establish commitment and accountability up, down and across organizations.
On Wednesday, March 5, 2008 six Department members of the Capitol Region Emergency Services Team (CREST) began attending monthly two-day training.
On Thursday, March 6, 2008 the Support Services Bureau Commander and the Administrative Services Bureau Commander attended a one day class entitled "Due Process: Internal and Internal Affairs Investigations". This training was held at the Connecticut Police Academy, Meriden, CT. Instructional objectives include court decisions affecting investigations of public employees, important do's and don'ts during interviews, avoiding defamation, invasion of privacy and false imprisonment issues.
On Thursday, March 13, 2008 a Department dispatcher attended a "Regional Incident Dispatch (RID) Meeting". This training was held in the Wethersfield Police Department Community Room. The RID Team is a group of approximately twelve telecommunicators comprised from local law enforcement agencies. The RID Team is designed to supplement area Dispatch Centers in the event of a large crisis, man-made/ natural disaster etc.
On Wednesday, March 19, 2008 the Detective Bureau Commander, the School Resource Officer (SRO) as well as one officer attended a four hour class entitled "Child Sexual Assault / Homicide Case Presentation & Threat Assessment for School Violence". Training was held at the Connecticut Police Academy, Meriden, CT. Training objectives include a detailed review and analysis of a child sexual assault and homicide investigation, and school violence threat assessment, risk assessment and shooter motivation.
On Thursday, March 27, 2008 the Detective Bureau Commander, the Department Training Sergeant as well as the School Resource Officer attended a three hour conference entitled "The Governor's School and College Security Conference". This conference was held at Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT. The keynote speaker discussed the factors involved in school shootings and the ways to prevent those factors from occurring. Breakout sessions included discussing the school climate, school security grants and emergency notification systems.
Annual CPR/ AED, Airborne/ Bloodborne Pathogen and First Aid training is scheduled for April, 2008.
In March, 2008 police personnel were dispatched to a total of fifty-five alarms. Five locations were billed this month for violating the false alarm ordinance. Sixteen new alarm registrations were received from residents / businesses in the month. This month 976 registered locations did not have any recorded false alarms resulting in a 94% alarm compliance rate.
The following are the burglary and robbery statistics for the month of March, 2008 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 2007 | March 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Burglaries | 3 (1) | 1 (0) |
| Commercial Burglaries | 1 (0) | 1 (0) |
| Armed Robberies | 0 (0) | 1 (0) |
| Strong-arm Robberies | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
