Police Department
Monthly Report
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Police Department |
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James L. Cetran
Chief of Police
During the week of July 27, 2008 the Department Training sergeant instructed two separate three hour classes on "Patrol Procedures" and "Motor Vehicle Stops" for the CT Explorer Police Academy which was held at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, CT.
The Wethersfield Police Department submitted their statistics in four categories to the Connecticut Police Chief's Association (CPCA) for the July 4th weekend (Thursday, July 3, 2008 through Sunday, July 6, 2008). The CPCA collects the statistics for each local Department in four areas to include number of motor vehicle stops, number of DUI arrests, number of motor vehicle accidents and number of motor vehicle fatalities. Each officer at the Wethersfield Police Department 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 101 DUI Arrests 2 MV Accidents 10 MV Fatalities 0
On July 30, 2008 at approximately 1:00 A.M. a patrol officer was driving through the parking lot of a local apartment complex when he saw two males standing near a garbage dumpster. After seeing the officer, the males put a backpack on the ground and walked away from it. One of the males also left a bike he had been riding in this same area. Knowing that this area had been subject to recent thefts, the officer approached the two males to inquire about their abandoned property. The males gave different versions of why they were in the complex so late at night. They also said that they were visiting someone in the complex but they could not remember this person's name. Within the abandoned backpack the officer found many cell phones, cell phone accessories, gift cards and baseball trading cards that he believed to be stolen. The officer ultimately found that the two males had broken into a storage area at the complex and had stolen the bicycle and other items. The two males were arrested and charged with Larceny, Criminal Mischief and Conspiracy to Commit both crimes.
In July, 2008 members of the Detective Bureau initiated or were assigned follow-up to eighteen new cases. Major case investigations include two robberies, one burglary, two identity thefts and three frauds. Detectives also continue to perform town background investigations and backgrounds for pistol permits applicants.
On July 21, 2008 members of the Detective Division responded to a complaint of a strong armed robbery which had occurred at a Silas Deane Highway shopping plaza. It was reported that an elderly female had her purse snatched in the parking lot of the plaza. The perpetrators were gone upon the arrival of the detectives. Witnesses were able to provide a description of the suspects and their vehicle. The suspects, however, are still at large.
On July 25, 2008 officers responded to a reported robbery at a Nott Street business. According to an employee, the suspect displayed a handgun before leaving the business with cash belonging to the business. The suspect was last seen traveling west on Nott Street in a blue vehicle similar to a Toyota Camry. Detectives are working on identifying several suspects.
No Report This Month (Summer School Vacation)
During the week of July 28, 2007 eight WPD Police Explorers attended Explorer Police Academy at Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT. The Explorer Police Academy is divided into four phases, each phase giving explorers unique classroom and training opportunities.
In July, 2008 Wethersfield Dispatchers received and handled 900 E-911 emergency phone calls.
In accordance with state law, the Support Service Bureau Commander provided the quarterly E-911 call count report to the State of Connecticut, Department of Public Safety, Office of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications. For the time period from April 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008 dispatchers at the Wethersfield Police Department handled 2,426 E-911 calls.
Wethersfield dispatchers dispatched the Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance to twenty-seven medical emergencies and Aetna Ambulance to 210 medical emergencies for a total of 237 medical emergencies.
In July, 2008 there were thirty-nine calls involving animal control issues. Of those calls, eight were handled by an animal control officer and thirty-one were handled by police officers.
In July, 2008 the Wethersfield Police Department Child Seat Technician inspected or installed two child seats. The Support Service Bureau receives requests via the Department web site as well as via phone.
In July, 2008 twenty-four persons were taken into custody and held requiring 315 hours of incarceration. Of the persons held, seventeen were arrested by warrant. Support Services personnel transported twenty-four prisoners to court. Transported to court were sixteen males and eight females.
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 sixty-seven times and spent a total of forty-four hours doing selective enforcement on various city streets.
On Tuesday, July 8, 2008 a patrol officer, along with his canine, Hunter, attended a one day training class entitled "Police Canine/ Police Canine Handler Training." The officer and Hunter participated in this monthly canine training with several other area law enforcement canine teams. Training included evidence recovery and tracking. On Tuesday, July 22, 2008 this canine team attended a second day of the same type training
On Monday, July 21, 2008, a Department records clerk began attending a two day training class entitled "National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Training was held at the Connecticut Police Academy, Meriden, CT. Objectives of this training included ensuring that the police department staff are properly collecting data that define the level of crime in their jurisdiction.
On Tuesday, July 22, 2008 a detective attended a one day training class entitled "ImageScan Training." Training was held at the FBI Office in New Haven, CT. The ImageScan program is a system for investigators to accurately view a variety of graphic formats on a subject's computer. While attending the class, the detective received a copy of the ImageScan software.
On Tuesday, July 29, 2008 a detective attended one day "CREST - Dive Team" training. This training is conducted on a monthly basis with several other area law enforcement agencies that comprise CREST. This month's activities included a search of the Connecticut River in Hartford, CT.
On Tuesday, July 29, 2008 a patrol officer along with narcotic canine Lainie began attending a three day training class entitled "Narcotics Detection Canine In-Service Training." The officer and Canine Lainie attended training at the Connecticut State Police Training Unit, Meriden, CT. This in-service training is conducted quarterly in order to maintain certification through the Connecticut State Police.
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 at several Town schools. To address these complaints, officers performed selective enforcement at numerous locations throughout town. Officers performed selective enforcement twenty-seven times and spent a total of eighteen hours doing selective enforcement on various roads in town.
The Support Service Bureau Commander continues to receive requests for added or replacement street signs. In July, 2008 one work order was completed for new or replacement street signs in Wethersfield. Three "One Way Do Not Enter" signs posted at the south entrance of the Police Department, 250 Silas Deane Highway were removed.
The Old Wethersfield 5K Road Race and Family Walk will be held on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 8:30 AM starting near the corner of Garden and State Streets. The 24th Annual Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce Cornfest will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Support Services Bureau Commander will assist and support both events preparing work orders for street closures and/ or restricted parking areas.
The week of July 27th, 2008 the Wethersfield Police Explorers participated in the 2008 Connecticut Police Explorer Academy. Eight explorers from the Wethersfield Explorers Post attended the academy as well as three explorers from the Rocky Hill Explorers Post who also attended. The Juvenile Unit detective reprised his role as Drill Instructor/Classroom Instructor as did a the Training Unit supervisor in his capacity as a Phase Director.
On Tuesday, August 5, 2008 this Department will hold its annual National Night Out at Millwoods Park. This annual event is coordinated with several other town departments including the Parks & Recreation Department, Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, Social & Youth Services and the Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance Association. The event will include food and drinks, music, games and prizes for persons of all ages.
In July, 2008 police personnel were dispatched to a total of eighty-one alarms at sixty-four separate locations. This includes twenty-seven alarms at non-residential locations, fifty-three alarms at residential locations and one from a Town or State owned facility. Thirty locations were billed this month for violating the false alarm ordinance and fines were appropriately charged.
Twenty-one new or alarm renewal registrations were received from residents / businesses in the month.
A total of 1,118 alarm permits are currently on file with the Police Department. During the month, 1,054 locations did not have a false alarm relating to a 94 % compliance rate.
The following are the burglary and robbery statistics for the month of July, 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 | July 2007 | July 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Burglaries | 2 (0) | 1 (0) |
| Commercial Burglaries | 1 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Armed Robberies | 1 (0) | 1 (0) |
| Strong-arm Robberies | 0 (0) | 1 (0) |
