FHA Looks At Security

By Kendra Bobowick

Two people emerged from the darkness covered in dust and dirt. They had a crowbar, but were not “arrestable,” said Fairfield Hills Authority member John Reed. Authorities were unable to discover where the youths may have entered one of the former state hospital buildings on the Fairfield Hills campus.

Relaying another incident to authority members during an earlier May meeting, Mr Reed, who was later elected chairman at that meeting, said that two youths in black were throwing rocks at windows while people were walking by. Those people could not identify which of the already missing or cracked windows the youths had broken. He explained that they also “could not be arrested.”

With an ongoing concern for security and safety on the town-owned campus, he said, “If we can’t arrest them, then we expect officers to contact the parents.” Enforcement is “hard if they are not arrestable.”

Another incident: three empty vehicles were spotted in April around 9 pm. One person received a warning due to an open beer in the vehicle.

Police did arrest another person for trespassing recently after finding a loaded handgun in the car.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe said this week that arrests are made when possible and are based on probable cause, “If we can make a case,” he said. He also reminded that “there are a lot of pieces to an incident,” including a look at laws that apply, circumstances, etc, before making an arrest.

“We have a growing problem,” Mr Reed said. “Sometimes Fairfield Hills is regarded as an island,” but the campus is home to the Newtown Youth Academy, the new Municipal Center, sports teams that use the fields, and residents enjoying recreation on the trails and roads.

Chief Kehoe made the point, “It’s now a 24/7 campus and it is active more than it was several years ago. That plays an important part.”

Mr Reed said, “We need entities, the police, Parks and Recreation, etc to be more active partners.”

The chief said police and town elected officials are “always talking,” mentioning a meeting in June to discuss “these and other issues. There is a lot of dialogue to improve things.”

Security lighting “certainly helps,” the chief explained, referring to lights now present on the campus. But he spoke again of “dialogue.” Authorities’ activities in the past and future are part of the ongoing conversation, he said.

When Newtown purchased the roughly 180-acre portion of Fairfield Hills property, the town became a large property owner compared to many municipalities, Mr Reed noted. “And now we’re beginning to see the challenges.”

As the reports of trespassing and vandalism around the buildings continue, Chief Kehoe called the crumbling empty buildings “an attractive nuisance, and to an extent we will always be dealing with that.”