COVID-19 New Canaan

Police: Psychiatric Calls Double in March

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New Canaan Police reported Wednesday that psychiatric-related calls doubled year-over-year in March, from four to eight. Though the overall figure remains manageable, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said he expects the rapid increase to be “a trend we will see continue.”

“And lining up with that was our incident on Friday night,” Krolikowski said during a regular meeting of the Commission, held via videoconference. 

“Officers handled it perfectly, where we had a family member that was irate. Behavioral health issues, under the influence of something, threatening his family members with a knife and wouldn’t let a couple of them leave. Our shift went there, a hostage negotiator went there, the Special Response Team went there, [Deputy Chief] John [DiFederico] and myself went there, and through negotiation he did surrender and was taken into custody on a number of charges. And he will get the help he needs in some way.

COVID-19 New Canaan

Police: Fining, Charging Those Violating Order on Closed Parks ‘An Absolute Last Resort’

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New Canaan Police will only bring fines or charges against those violating an order to stay out of the town’s public parks as a last resort, according to Police Chief Leon Krolikowski. According to an opinion from the town attorney, those violating formal orders issued during a public health emergency risk per-offense charges of $1,000 and a year in jail. Citing a desire to reduce transmission of COVID-19, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan on March 30 ordered New Canaan parks closed to the public through April 30. Since then, New Canaan Police have received complaints about people walking past yellow police tape or other barriers at park entrances, though those have subsided, according to Krolikowski. Ticketing violators or bringing charges that range from infraction- to felony-level, under state law, would be “an absolute last resort,” Krolikowski said.

News

Police: Jeep Reported Stolen from Thurton Drive Home

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Police say an SUV was reported stolen from the driveway of a New Canaan home before dawn Friday. The 2013 Jeep Cherokee stolen from a Thurton Drive home was unlocked with the keys inside, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said in a press release. 

The theft was reported at 2:35 a.m., he said. “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal gangs are active throughout Fairfield County,” Krolikowski said in the release. He added that the criminals “don’t work from home.”

He referred to a practice now typical throughout New Canaan amid the coronavirus disease 2019 emergency, which has seen schools, parks and many businesses close in the past few weeks. Emergency Management Director Mike Handler said Saturday that New Canaan has 70 positive cases and has lost eight residents to the virus.

COVID-19 New Canaan

New Canaan Police Anticipate Rise in Psychiatric Calls Amid COVID-19 Emergency 

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New Canaan Police through the first two months of 2020 responded to seven calls for psychiatric problems, officials said last week—up from just one the prior year and expected to rise steeply amid the COVID-19 emergency. 

The figure will “continue to increase because of lots of different issues regarding anxiety and bringing out behavioral health issues related to the COVID crisis,” according to Police Chief Leon Krolikowski. 

“So I expect to have more medical calls and more psychiatric calls,” he said during the March 23 meeting of the Police Commission, held via videoconference. 

New Canaan had 48 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 or “COVID-19” as of Tuesday evening, according to Emergency Management Director Mike Handler. Five town residents have died from the virus. Those local businesses allowed to operate during the crisis have changed protocols in order to minimize the risk of transmission. 

Police also have changed the way they work. Krolikowski announced last week that while officers will continue to respond to emergency calls—such as for medical emergencies or crimes-in-progress—they’re now required to limit contact with the public for safety’s sake. Incidents that can be investigated via phone, email or video chat will be handled that way until further notice, the chief said, while access to NCPD headquarters is restricted, the Records Department is closed and fingerprinting is suspended. In reviewing department spending with the Commission, the chief noted that “except for the COVID expenses, our costs will be in budget but my expectation is that over the next several months we will be spending more than normal because of the COVID-19 and that’s going to drive our budget up.”

“I think everybody expects that to happen,” he said.