Monthly Report to the Town Manager
Wethersfield Police Division
Town of Wethersfield
By James L. Cetran, Chief of Police
Edited by Wethersfield.net
For MARCH, 2006
Special Projects / Achiedvements / Innovations:
The Capitol Region Emergency Services Team (C.R.E.S.T.) recently hosted a basic SWAT school for various local agencies throughout the state. The class was attended by new SWAT operators and is required to join an organized SWAT team. Several Wethersfield members participated in teaching various classes during this weeklong school. Evaluations showed that this class was very well received. C.R.E.S.T. has hosted this school the past four years.
On February 27th the Wethersfield Police Department hired Peter McGee as a Probationary Police Officer. Ofc. McGee received Department orientation training for three days and was sworn in by Town Clerk Dolores Sassano on Tuesday, February 28th. Officer McGee began attending the Connecticut Police Academy on Friday, March 3, 2006. Graduation from the Academy is expected in July 2006.
Monthly Activities:
Patrol Division:
During the month of March the Patrol Division was involved in fifteen (15) narcotics cases in Wethersfield, which resulted in nineteen (19) arrests. Total Seizures for the Patrol Division are as follows: Marijuana: 38.6 grams Heroin: 48 bags Cocaine: 1.2 grams Crack Cocaine: 5.72 grams
Patrol Division - Cases of Interest:
On March 10th at approximately 5:10 PM, a patrol officer saw a vehicle traveling on Jordan Lane with an expired registration sticker. The officer checked the registration status with the Department of Motor Vehicle computer and found that the registration was cancelled due to having no insurance. Upon stopping the vehicle, the officer noticed that operator’s hands were shaking and he appeared very nervous. The officer asked the operator to exit the vehicle and as he did so the officer saw a hypodermic needle on the floor of the vehicle. The officer saw several small plastic packets that are commonly packaged for the sale of heroin. The officer then asked the operator if there was anything else in the vehicle and the operator told the officer that there was. The officer seized another needle, 13 more packets of heroin, and a bag of crack cocaine. The operator was placed under arrest and transported to the Police Department.
On March 24th at 6:51 PM, a patrol officer saw a vehicle traveling on the Berlin Turnpike. The vehicle was swerving from side to side and crossed up on to the curb. The officer stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator whose speech was slurred. The officer believed the operator might be intoxicated so she asked him to step out of the vehicle. The officer asked the operator to perform several field sobriety tests. The operator failed those tests and was placed under arrest for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. The officer then spoke to the passenger in order to determine if he could drive the vehicle away. While speaking to the passenger, the officer asked if there were any weapons inside the vehicle. The passenger exited the vehicle and positioned himself so that the officer believed he did not want her to see inside the vehicle. The passenger handed the officer a Connecticut Pistol Permit. The officer then asked if there was a gun in the car. The passenger told the officer that there was a handgun in the car. The officer retrieved a loaded Glock handgun. Also in the car, the officer found marijuana. Both the operator and the passenger were arrested for various crimes.
Detective Division:
This month members of the Detective Bureau initiated or were assigned forty-three (43) new cases. Members of the Detective Bureau investigated seven- (7) residential burglaries,
- one (1) commercial burglary,
- one (1) bank robbery,
- one (1) strong arm robbery,
- nine (9) fraud cases,
- three (3) wanted persons,
- four (4) larceny cases,
- one (1) assault case,
- five (5) disorderly conduct investigations,
- one (1) death investigation,
- one (1) background investigation,
- one (1) other jurisdictional assist,
- one (1) narcotics case,
- one (1) weapons violation,
- two (2) sexual assaults,
- two (2) motor vehicle violations and
- two (2) juvenile offenses.
Detective Division - Case of Interest:
On March 24th at 11:10 AM officer and detectives were dispatched to Banknorth at 25 Wells Road on report of a robbery. A black male suspect entered the bank, handed the teller a note demanding money. The note implied that he had a gun. After being given an undetermined amount of money from the teller, the suspect then fled the bank on foot. Nobody in the bank was injured. Detectives processed the scene for evidence and the investigation is continuing.
On March 28th at 10:53 PM officers and detectives were dispatched to the Cityside Inn, 1680 Berlin Turnpike on a report of a robbery. Upon arrival, they located the victim in a motel room. The victim’s wrists were still tied behind his back with speaker wire. He had visible swelling on the front left side of his forehead and had minor bleeding from the right side of his face. Earlier, an argument between the victim and the suspect escalated to a physical altercation. The victim was punched and had his wrists tied together behind his back. The suspect took $800 from the victim. There were no weapons involved. After tying up the victim, the suspect took the victim’s car keys and fled in the victim’s car. The investigation is continuing.
School Resource Officer (SRO) Report: No report this month.
Juvenile Unit:
The Police Explorers held two (2) training meetings during the month of March. One meeting was a practical exercise in surveillance techniques. The following meeting was an administrative meeting concerning uniforms. Five (5) Explorers went for ride-alongs in the month of March. One Explorer shadowed an Officer for a shift.
There were fourteen (14) juveniles referred to this unit during the month of March for various criminal acts and violations. Six (6) juveniles were referred to juvenile court, three (3) were diverted to school discipline and the remaining juveniles were warned or diverted to their parents.
Juvenile Unit, Cases of Interest:
- This unit executed a warrant for Larceny 1st Degree in the case of a theft of jewelry.
- This unit is investigating a weapon in a motor vehicle violation.
- This unit located the suspects involved in starting a brush fire on the Berlin Turnpike. The development and locating of the suspects resulted in two arrests for Reckless Burning.
- This unit closed out a sexual assault case by executing a warrant for Sexual Assault 2nd Degree.
- This unit is investigating a sexual assault first-degree case and an underage drinking ordinance violation.
Support Services Bureau (SSB):
During March WPD Child Seat Technicians installed thirty-one (31) child seats. SSB continues to receive requests via the WPD website as well as conventional phone messages. SSB personnel continue to work closely with the Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance in coordinating child seat installations for residents of other area towns.
There were 80 alarms received during the month of March. Of that total, none were found to be actual alarms. Twelve (12) tickets were issued this month for violation of the false alarm ordinance.
During the month of March the Communications Unit received and handled approximately 715 E-911 emergency phone calls. The Communications Unit dispatched the Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance and Aetna Ambulance to a total of 233 medical emergencies.
During March twenty-six (26) persons were arrested and held requiring 374 hours of incarceration. Of the persons held, eighteen (18) were arrested by warrant. During March SSB personnel transported twenty-six (26) prisoners to court, twenty-four (24) males and two (2) females. The two (2) females incarcerated by the department required 33 hours of matron coverage.
In the month of March 2006 dispatch personnel have no longer reported any significant problems with C-MED.
In March 2006 SSB personnel have continued selective enforcement programs in different areas of town. SSB personnel also assisted the Patrol Division in selective enforcement.
There was CREST dive training on March 28, 2006. The dive training consisted of a dive operation on the Connecticut River.
Support Services, Training Unit - Monthly Activities:
On March 1st members of the Capitol Region Emergency Services Team (CREST) attended monthly two-day training.
On March 3rd one Lieutenant attended a one-day training class entitled “Grant Writing for Law Enforcement”. This workshop was designed to help participants produce high quality grant proposals, identify and analyze funding resources, design and manage programs and improve writing skills.
On March 6th two Lieutenants attended the five-day “Police Officer Recertification Training- Supervisor” 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 training including legal updates, bias crimes, patrol procedures, juvenile law and domestic violence laws. This particular training class was designed specifically for police supervisors.
On March 6th one Detective attended a two-day training class entitled “Police Background Investigations and Selection Process”. Training areas included establishing agency criteria, negligent hiring problems, interview of the candidate/family, polygraph examinations and the agency role in the screening process.
On March 13th one Detective attended a five-day training class entitled “Intermediate Crime Scene Processing”. This detective had previously attended the Basic Crime Scene Processing class in January 2006. Some of the course objectives included lifting latent prints from unusual surfaces, locating and collecting trace evidence, learning casting methods and preparing a case for court.
On March 20-24th two officers attended the five-day “Police Officer Recertification Training”. This training was hosted by the Wethersfield Police Department and was held at the Wethersfield Police Department Community Room. 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 training including ICS training, PRAWN training, legal updates, bias crimes, patrol procedures, juvenile law and domestic violence laws.
On March 23rd one Detective attended a four-hour training class entitled “Managing Sex Offender Registrations”. This training seminar was developed for agency liaisons that manage local sex offender registries. Training topics included explaining the history of the Sex Offender Registration legislation in Connecticut, understanding the requirements of a registered sex offender, determining when a sex offender is required to register and examining compliance investigations and agency policies.
Community Relations:
In March the SSB Commander continued to work closely with the Board of Education in addressing parking and traffic complaints in and around the high school and several elementary schools. The SSB Commander has addressed numerous parking issues at Hanmer Elementary School. Work has been done with the B.O.E. to begin using the gated area in front of the school. The gated area was scheduled to be used in March as the new pickup and drop off area for the buses and vans. At the request of the Hanmer principal, the start date was pushed back to May. At the Wethersfield High School, parents are still dropping off in the area of the buses and vans, in violation of posted signs. The department will begin to address these parents in the morning hours. Officers have been issuing summons to violators at the high school. All new signage has been completed at the Board of Education and Hanmer School. Letters have been sent home with all Wethersfield students asking parents to abide by all parking restrictions in and around the schools.
SSB personnel continue to address citizen complaints involving traffic and speed issues. Citizens had complained of speeding vehicles on various town streets.
SSB personnel continue to receive requests for added street/road signs or replacement. Work orders have been completed for various signage throughout Wethersfield.
Upcoming Events:
A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will be at the Wethersfield Police Department between April 22, 2006 and April 26, 2006 to examine all aspects of the department’s policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services. The re-accreditation team, consisting of three police officials from similar agencies located out of state, will review operation files and training guidelines, and interview officers and other staff and the public to ensure that the department is complying with over 400 CALEA standards.
In April 2006 members of the Support Services Division will increase their efforts at selective enforcement, directed at speeding and other various moving violations. A particular effort will be given around the town schools.
The SSB Commander will continue to meet with a parents advisory committee. He will provide information to this group regarding all school traffic, parking and safety issues.
The department Marine Division will begin to prepare the boat for operation in May.
Annual CPR/ AED, Airborne/ Bloodborne Pathogen and First Aid training will conclude in April 2006.
Motorola Gold Elite Console training for Dispatch and Support Services personnel will be conducted in April 2006.
YMCA Safety Day at the United Methodist Church on Prospect Street 4/08/06.
Internet Safety Parents Program at the Silas Deane Middle School on 4/26/06.
Performance Measures:
The following are the burglary and robbery statistics for the month of March, 2006.... 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
Residential Burglaries: 7 (0)
Commercial Burglaries: 1 (0)
Armed Robberies: 1 (0)
Strong-arm Robberies: 2 (0)
Patrol Bureau Statistics for March, 2006:
MV Accidents: 63
DWI: 20
Parking Tags: 65
Criminal Arrests: 113
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