By Hayley Duffy
In a recent update to SafeWise, Greenwich has become the sixth safest city in Connecticut.
Greenwich’s First Selectman Fred Camillo credited the cooperation with Chief of Police James J. Heavey over the past two-and-a-half years to increase safety for the honor and plans to “move up five more notches” in the future.
The city’s close proximity to urban areas and larger range provide its challenges, but Greenwich Police Department is a “wonderful force that is highly trained and motivated,” said Camillo.
GPD is an accredited agency, which means all policies and procedures are vetted by the state to ensure the best practices are followed, according to Heavey.
They do a lot of refresher training on topics such as implicit bias and laws of arrest. They “do over the minimum” for Connecticut’s requirements, claimed Heavey. “It is important to maintain that standard to provide a lot of good service.”
Both Camillo and Heavey offered praise to the residents of Greenwich for the improvement. “The police department has to share credit” with the whole community, commented Heavey. “The award is for the whole town.”
Camillo tips his cap to the residents that support the police.
Even still, Heavey requests that Greenwich residents try to be better about taking measures to prevent auto-theft, including always locking cars and taking the keys with them.
Sixty-four cars were stolen as of June 23rd, which is on par for the amount of cars stolen last year (130), remarked Heavey. Greenwich’s reputation as an easy mark for auto-theft has damaged some of the headway made for the town’s safety.
Connecticut residents are less concerned about gun violence, according to the study by SafeWise. They also have more confidence in law enforcement than the national average.
Following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the Board of Education and the police department implemented “officers at every school as much as possible,” claimed Heavey. This summer, plans to improve physical security at all schools and public buildings will take place, according to both Camillo and Heavey.
The force will also take part in active shooter training and train school personnel on safety measures. Heavey emphasized the importance of the physical safety of the school as well as early mental health intervention for preventative methods.
Both leaders also highlighted proactive steps taken for the town’s safety. A new Youth Task Force has recently been implemented to discover safe alternatives on places for sixth through tenth graders to congregate. Patrolmen can also be found on bikes now, allowing them to be more mobile and approachable to residents, remarked Camillo.
To stay ahead of the unrest of 2020, Camillo installed body cameras on all police to protect the public and the officers.
The town has made many strides for safety, but leaders continue to strive for the highest level of security.
