Wednesday, May 16, 2012
If all of the pieces fall into place, regional dispatch could be in place by the end of the year.
In his report at the May 1 Town Council meeting, Town Manager Richard Branigan noted that the 75 cent 911 fee on people’s phone bills had passed through the House and Senate, which should provide grants for regionalizing dispatch. “The process has been fairly aggressive,” said Fire Chief William Seward at the May 3 Fire Commission meeting. He reported that there are three possible locations for a regional dispatch center–the North Branford Police Department, Town Hall and Co. 4. The process involves installing a 100-foot communication tower and many system upgrades, which would be covered by the grant money received. While the process has been aggressive, Mayor Anthony Candelora also noted that it is lengthy. “The town has applied for a …
North Branford Police Chief Matthew Canelli shared statistics from April as well as some other happenings from the past month at the May 15 meeting.
At the May 14 Police Commission meeting, North Branford Police Department Chief Matthew Canelli presented the statistics from the month of April. Incident activity included: Canelli reported that the vehicle maintenance costs for April were just less than $2,900, noting that majority of that cost was to replace the transmission on car 11, which has 154,000 miles on it. "We're never going to get that money out of that car," said Police Commission Vice Chairman Dave Palumbo. "I'd just hate to see the numbers [for vehicle repairs] going the other way again [after going down after getting the new vehicles]." The cost of prisoner watch dating back to July 1, 2011 stands at $10,581, while proceeds from permits, fines, etc. stand at $5,167, which…
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The North Branford Fire Department responded to 166 total calls during April 2012.
The North Branford Fire Department released these statistics for the month of April. The NBFD responded to 192 calls including: These numbers are totals for all of the companies of the North Branford Fire Department, which includes Company 1, Company 2, Company 3 and Company 4.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
A shed at the Neubig Dairy Property was destroyed, but firefighters saved a vacant house.
Quick work by East Haven firefighters stopped a shed fire Friday night from consuming a vacant house at the old Neubig Dairy property, 110 Barberry Road. Fire Chief Douglas Jackson said the preliminary damage estimate is still a $100,000 loss from the fire, which was reported at 10:21 p.m. and occupied six East Haven Fire Department units and several North Branford Fire Department pumpers that responded for mutual aid assistance. Jackson said the first unit to arrive was the Squad 5 minipumper, which immediately got into position and directed water on the blaze. Although the vehicle is too small to handle the fire by itself, Jackson said Squad 5 was able to stop the spread of the fire until other units got into position, which probably …
Some of the more "interesting" police reports this week.
Five Naugatuck teens were arrested on trespassing charges after police said they were caught on the roof of Naugatuck High School, attempting to do free running, also known as "parkour." -- A Hamden man was arrested for firing a gun to scare two children who were on his property looking for a stick to fix a broken bicycle. -- A man in Milford was arrested for stealing a $130 pair of boots from Sears at the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall. -- A Milford man was arrested in North Haven for allegedly drinking and driving. Two days later, the department arrested him again – this time for allegedly shoplifting. -- A Stratford man was arrested last weekend for allegedly filiming up an unknowing woman's dress at the Westfield Connecticut Post …
Friday, May 11, 2012
At the most recent North Branford Fire Commission meeting, Chief Seward and the commissioners reviewed budget numbers.
In addition to updating the North Branford Fire Commission on the Borelli Farm fire at the May 3 meeting, Fire Chief William Seward also discussed fire department finances. Due to the public hearing on the budget, the Fire Commission did not meet in April so Seward updated the commission on the budget process. Seward attended numerous meetings along with the Town Council’s budget workshop where he presented the department’s proposed budget, highlighting goals, the need for equipment with the emphasis on the safety of members and capital improvement. “There were no questions from the Council and they were very receptive to our needs,” said Seward. With cuts made all around, the Fire Department’s budget was cut by $22,500 for a 2012-13 …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The following arrest information was supplied by the North Branford Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.
Larceny Jamie L. Smith, 26, of Horse Pond Road, Madison, was charged with fifth-degree larceny at 8:54 a.m. on April 26. Under the Influence Heidi K. Goldbach, 42, of Plains Road, Milford, was charged with operation under the influence at 11:45 p.m. on April 27. Burglary and Criminal Mischief Michael Orifice, 43, of Kirkham Road, East Haven, was charged with third-degree burglary and fourth-degree criminal mischief at 12:48 p.m. on May 4. Disorderly Conduct and Interference with Emergency Call Arthur Ferraiolo, 39, of Miller Road, Northford, was charged with disorderly conduct and interference with an emergency call at 12:37 a.m. on May 5. Burglary, Larceny, Criminal Mischief John J. Diglio, 21, of Old Mill Road, Clinton, was charged with …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Do news organizations that publish 911 call audio help or harm the communities they serve?
The initial shockwave that swept through Fairfield County last week after the Ramsey family tragedy changed to disgust following the decision of area news outlets to publish the graphic 911 recording, during which Mrs. Ramsey told the dispatcher that her husband was lying dead “in a pool of blood.” Patch received access to the tape but did not publish a link to it. As a American writer who considers the First Amendment our most cherished right, I believe that making 911 tapes available to the public is essential to community safety; however, are we not also human beings? Did the tape need to be released so soon after Mr. Ramsey’s tragic demise? And how—if at all—did the tape’s release advance the public’s understanding of this heinous …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The North Branford Police Department made two arrests in separate burglary incidents.
The North Branford Police Department issued press releases for two unrelated burgarly charges. On May 4, the NBPD received a call regarding a possible burglary to a residence on Foxon Road. Due to recent suspicious activity at the residence, the caller, a teenager, was checking the house at the request of the homeowner who was not home at the time. While checking the home, the teenager noticed a door leading to the garage slightly open. When he went to inspect further, as he entered the garage, a white male reportedly came running out past him carrying a crowbar. The teenager followed the individual and reported that he entered a Dodge pickup and left the area. The teenager then made a 911 call and provided information regarding the …
At the North Branford Fire Commission meeting, Chief William Seward updated commissioners on the Borelli Farm fire.
The Borelli Farm fire has stopped burning and the giant pile of brush has been dismantled. The fire burned for two weeks, from April 10 to April 24. “We dumped millions of gallons of water on it on the first day from onsite pumping,” said Fire Chief William Seward. “We could’ve emptied that pond and the fire wouldn’t have been out.” While Seward said he knew on the first day that the pile would have to be taken apart and considered calling Public Works, he knew big equipment would be needed and with that would come a large bill. Of the four divisions of the DEEP, only the HazMat division has the authority and funds to bring in a contractor. “There was nothing hazardous when DEEP came on the first day so people called governor, we called …
john carter
1:39 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012
This is beyond a bad idea! Here in branford we have 10 full time dispatchers. 3 per shift on days and 2 on evenings and midnights. 10 just bearly cover for starters normal days off sick days and holiday /vacation. Call volume is another issue. A structure fire bad domestic or serrious medical call takes 1 if not both distpatchers out of the loop for other calls such as barking dog complaints or i… more ›