Irwin Park

Police: ‘Vast Majority’ of Incidents at New Canaan Parks Occur at Waveny

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The “vast majority” of police incidents in town parks occur in Waveny, with 376 incidents reported there over the five-year period ending June 15, officials say. The figure is far higher than citizen-reported and police-initiated incidents at Irwin (62), Kiwanis (31), and Mead (89) Parks, according to data cited by Police Chief Leon Krolikowski. Though most of the incidents that police responded to at Waveny “were service-related, medical assists, animal complaints and suspicious vehicles,” Krolikowski said in a July 22 report to the head of the Parks & Recreation Commission, there were numerous criminal incidents as well. These include reports of a male masturbating in a vehicle and a fight during a wedding at Waveny House. Furthermore, on several occasions, the report said that “nationally organized gangs” were responsible for crimes committed in Waveny.

News

Police: Unlocked Cars in New Canaan Entered, One with Keys Inside Stolen and Recovered

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Police on Sunday received multiple reports of unlocked cars being entered in New Canaan, officials said. In one case, an unlocked 2013 Subaru with its keys inside was stolen from a Heritage Hill Road driveway, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said in a press release. That car later was recovered on Parish Lane, he said. Small amounts of cash were also stolen from vehicles on upper Elm Street, Prospect Place, Oenoke Lane and Parish Road, the chief said. “It is probable that these crimes are being committed by gang members,” Krolikowski said in the release.

Brian Mitchell

Town Swears in Four New Canaan Police Officers

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Officials on Thursday swore in four new officers of the New Canaan Police Department during a well-attended ceremony at Town Hall. Selected from a field of 50 applicants for entry-level police officer positions, Emily Clark, Erin McCarthy, Joseph Schinella and Giancarlo Vincenzi were selected to attend the State of Connecticut Police Academy next month and then begin field training in New Canaan in January, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said. “Today is a very special day that began months ago,” he said during the ceremony, held in a board room at Town Hall. “Many challenges and changes lie ahead for our department and our profession but with individuals like Erin, Emily, Joseph, and Giancarlo joining our ranks, I see great success as we fulfill our mission to protect and serve the town of New Canaan,” the chief said. Town Clerk Claudia Weber swore them in.

News

Police Chief on Missing Woman Case: Search of Hartford Facility Is Over, Investigation Remains ‘Very Active and Dynamic’

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State police on Monday night finished searching a Hartford dump as part of an ongoing investigation in the case of a New Canaan mom of five who’s been missing for one month, officials say. Connecticut State Police concluded a search of a Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority facility in Hartford at about 7:30 p.m. on June 24, New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said in a press release. Investigators from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are “committed” to finding Jennifer Dulos, 50, and “bringing those responsible for Jennifer’s disappearance to justice,” Krolikowski said in the release. “We will not rest until we find Jennifer,” he said. Members of the local police Patrol Division and Investigative Section continue to work in a “very active and dynamic investigation” with the state police Western District and Central District Major Crime Squads as well as federal authorities in the search for Jennifer Dulos, who has been missing since May 24.

Government

Police Chief: Cameras at Waveny’s Entrances Would Help Deter Crime, ID Perpetrators

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Though criminal activity at Waveny is rare and the 300-acre park doesn’t need surveillance throughout, it would help investigators to have cameras at entrances and exits that capture images of license plates and people in vehicles, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said last week. Such video camera systems have already helped deter crime at the New Canaan YMCA, located across South Avenue from Waveny, Krolikowski told members of the Police Commission at their regular meeting Wednesday. “The YMCA had a big problem with people coming into their parking lot and breaking into their cars, and at our recommendation they installed camera systems that captured license plates, and that dropped off dramatically,” the chief said at the meeting, held in the training room at the New Canaan Police Department. “So it helps in that regard.”

Nearly 2,000 people have signed an online petition calling for video surveillance cameras at the park. Launched in the wake of revelations that a missing New Canaan woman’s car was found parked along Waveny on Lapham Road the day she went missing, the petition calls for cameras on specific trails as well as at the Lapham entrance. 

After Waveny user, trial lawyer and New Canaan mom Hilary Ormond presented the petition this month to the Parks & Recreation Commission, that appointed body called for a detailed proposal from police.