The West Haven Police Department is launching a pilot program that infuses police back into the community. The officers will be known as CRO’s or Community Resource Officers.  We are opening two Police-Sub-Stations; one in the neighborhood community in Allingtown and the other serving the business community in downtown West Haven covering from Elm St. to Captain Thomas Blvd. 

This is policing going back to its roots. This is Sir Robert Peel’s concept of placing uniformed officers on foot patrol.  The West Haven Police Department will be taking this concept into the 21^st Century by utilizing Segways to facilitate the CRO’s mission.  The Segway takes all of the positive benefits of having officers on foot-patrol without any of the drawbacks.  The officers will still have face to face direct contact with the citizens and be able to provide greater police coverage and response without exhausting the officer.  The CRO’s mission is to develop a relationship with those members of the community and to learn their problems, issues, fears, and provide a link between the police and the community while attempting to find solutions to their problems.

The CRO’s will utilize the following forms of patrol; Segways; bicycles; and foot patrol.  They will be equipped with hand held devices that have the capability to run vehicle checks and warrant check on individuals.   They have also been provided with departmental phones and business cards that will be handed out.  The idea is get the people to call CRO’s directly when they have a problem. Their sub-station will act as their base of operations and will be equipped with a police computer linked to the police department giving them the ability to access information and write reports.  We also hope in the near future that we can provide the community with the ability to obtain police reports and other documents that would only be available otherwise by going to the police department.

This program would not have been possible if it were not for the generosity of the following individuals:

 •   Quest Gym business owner Caroline Sires who provided this agency with the space and did much of the renovations for the Sub-station. 

•   Allingtown Fire Chief Peter Massaro opened the doors of his fire house and permitted renovations of a storage storage area to provide for a sub-station.

•    Brian Banning of All Purpose Contractors and Ken Carney of Baybrook Remodeling both donated time and materials in the renovation of the Allingtown sub-station

This generosity permitted the Police Department to keep costs at a bare minimum and make the program a reality.  I would like to take this opportunity to personally express my thanks and appreciation for everything they have done for the Police Department and the West Haven Community for without them it would not have come to fruition.