News

New Canaan Police Honor 15 Officers, One Civilian; First-Ever Lt. Stephen W. Wood Memorial Officer of the Year Award Given

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Though he passed away nearly four years ago, Lt. Stephen W. Wood, in ways that are profound to those who worked with him, has remained with the New Canaan Police Department. Addressing a room full of New Canaan police, their families and town officials that gathered at Lapham Community Center on Thursday morning—including Pat Wood, widow of the 33-year NCPD veteran—Capt. Vincent DeMaio said “his presence is felt pretty much every day.”

“I think of him often, and I think his memory is firmly in place with every officer worked with him,” DeMaio said during a ceremony that saw 15 police officers receive awards—including a new, special award dedicated to Wood’s memory. The Lt. Stephen W. Wood Memorial Officer of the Year Award in its inaugural dedication went to the highly respected figure’s own son-in-law, NCPD Officer Aaron LaTourette. Asked at the event what she thought and felt about the award, Pat Wood said: “It’s an honor. He would be honored.”

His daughter Kim, who was on hand with her sister Kelly, as well, said: “He was a say-it-like-it-is, do-it-like-it-is kind of guy.

News

New Canaan Police Plan Domestic Violence and Assault Prevention Course; Startup Donations Needed

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New Canaan Police plan to launch a personal safety course that’s designed to arm local women, including high school students, with techniques and information that address and prevent domestic violence and assault.

Led by Officer David Rivera, participants will meet twice per week for 90-minute sessions over five weeks, learning martial arts techniques such as in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, as well as awareness tips and information about sexual and other assaults. About $20,000 to $25,000 is needed to train New Canaan Police and kickstart the course, Rivera said. He’d like to start offering the course prior to the fall semester this year. (See donor information at the end of this article.)

Data shows that among high school students, sexual assaults often happen between upperclassmen males and freshmen girls, Rivera said. Open to high school girls as well as women 18 to 65 who live or work in New Canaan, the course will focus, in part, on preparing high school girls for college. “I think it’s a great opportunity to educate everyone and my hope is that with this class, we will see a decline in domestic violence or more people who are willing to come to us and help us to help them solve their issues,” Rivera said.

Business

Town Gives Conditional Approval to Convert Grove Street Loading Zone into Parking Spaces

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Despite reservations from the town body that typically weighs in on all parking matters in the downtown, officials have conditionally approved the conversion of a loading zone on Grove Street to three or four 2-hour spaces. Advocates for the change—proposed for the area near 33 Grove St., owned by Hobbs, Inc.—at the Dec. 17 Police Commission meeting downplayed objections such as the narrowness of the road, saying that question should be left to town engineers. A commercial real estate broker speaking in favor of the change also said it doesn’t make sense to preserve a loading zone for parents dropping off children for a music and arts therapy program on the opposite side of the street. “It’s across the street, so what mother in town—other than a moron—is going to drop their child off on the parking side of the street?” the broker, Anne Hannon, said during the meeting, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department.

Government

Police Commission Weighs Teacher-Student Parking Spot Swap at New Canaan High School

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Town officials say the best way for New Canaan High School to ensure the safety of students who now must cross a bustling main access road through the campus in the mornings might be to have the teens and teachers swap parking areas. As it is now, most students park in the long lot that runs up alongside the track, then cross the accessway to get into the school, while teachers who have arrived earlier are parking in lots closer to the building itself, according to members of the Police Commission. Based on a suggestion from a working group that oversees traffic calming in New Canaan, the Police Commission on Wednesday opened the possibility of recommending that the district try out the swap. “I like the idea of swapping, because if teachers are coming at 7 o’clock and the kids are coming at 7:30, get the teachers out by the track and let them walk,” Commissioner Paul Foley said during the group’s meeting, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. Ultimately it will be the school’s own decision how to address what Police Chief Leon Krolikowski flagged as a pedestrian safety hazard at the high school.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The all-volunteer Youth Sports Committee—a Board of Selectmen-appointed group formed to help with the important work of overseeing the private organizations that run youth sports in New Canaan—is getting better at filing meeting minutes. A look at records at the Town Clerk’s office shows that minutes from the Sept. 15 meeting were received on Oct. 3—though that’s not within the legally required seven days, it’s a significant improvement for the committee, which filed its Feb. 6 meeting minutes on Aug.