2020-08-18@8:00pm–#Bridgeport CT– There was an initial report of a drowning at Seaside Park near the bathhouses. Witnesses said the man in his 30’s was under the water for about 2 minutes. He was removed from the water, CPR was administered and he regained consciousness.
2020-08-18@7:30PMish– The neighbors caught these two dump trucks illegally dumping at Carroll and Wilmot Court. Police arrived and reportedly had the trucks seized. This was their fourth dump run when they got caught.
2020-08-18@12:10pm–#Stratford CT–#cttraffic– Firefighters on scene extricating one person out of a rollover accident on I-95 southbound located between exits 31 and 30. Traffic is backed up. Expect delays.
The Trumbull Police Department and Sunny Daes joined together to present a ‘Cops & Cones’ event on Saturday, August 15 in Trumbull Shopping Center. During this time, members of the Trumbull community were able to meet with their officers to ask questions, chat, and get to know one another all while enjoying sweet treats.
Interactions such as these continue to unite and bring the Trumbull community and police closer together. The Trumbull Police Department is grateful to have participated in this wonderful event, and would like to thank all of those who participated.
[Photo attached, L to R: Officer Ryan Tantimonico., Officer Kelly Brown, Officer Emily GIsvold, with Sunny Daes patrons]
With human trafficking on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced the bipartisan Leveraging Information on Foreign Traffickers (LIFT) Act to combat modern day slavery. This legislation supports survivor-centered efforts to monitor and prevent trafficking, and improves the U.S. Department of State’s ability to gather information on this crime. U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) are lead cosponsors of this bicameral legislation in the House and introduced the House version of the bill in January.
“This bipartisan measure mobilizes survivors and better information to fight human trafficking,” said Blumenthal. “It seeks to stop modern day slavery, even as the COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating it. The increasing urgency of protecting innocent victims — before they are ensnared by traffickers — should make the LIFT Act a priority.”
“Human trafficking, modern day slavery, is an evil that reaches into every corner of the world. We must fight until it is eradicated,” said Hawley. “This legislation equips the State Department and the survivor-led Advisory Council on Human Trafficking with new resources to monitor and combat trafficking wherever it exists.”
Key provisions of the LIFT Act include:
The legislation has been endorsed by Humanity United and the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST).
“The U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking is an important body consisting of survivors of human trafficking who advise the U.S. government on federal anti-trafficking policies and programs,” said Humanity United Action Senior Advisor Corban Teague. “It is critical that we elevate the voices of trafficking survivors and ensure they have a seat at the table. The bipartisan LIFT Act not only extends the authorization of the Advisory Council, but for the first time ever, will allow the survivors sitting on the Advisory Council to receive compensation for the work they do. This is a strong step in support of trafficking survivors, and Humanity United Action calls on Congress to swiftly pass this important legislation.”
The full text of the Senate legislation can be found here.
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#Westport, CT On Tuesday August 11, 2020 at approximately 2:33am, Westport Police dispatch received a complaint of motor vehicle burglaries from a residence on Richmondville Avenue. The complainant reported that he had initially heard a vehicle speeding away from the area of his home. He then observed that multiple unlocked vehicles parked in his driveway had apparently been entered, noting that their interior lights were illuminated.
A responding officer initially observed a group of three vehicles traveling together a short distance from the location of the reported incident. Upon seeing the marked police cruiser all three vehicle operators turned off their headlamps in an apparent attempt to elude officers; fleeing the immediate area at a high rate of speed and traveling north on Weston Road toward the town line. Officers did not engage in pursuit. The officer who initially spotted these three vehicles was able to obtain a description of two of the three. This information was relayed to other responding officers who maintained a perimeter around the area.
A short time after the initial sighting of the two vehicles, a Cadillac Escalade and a Honda CRV-V, both returned to Westport heading southbound on Weston Road. An officer had positioned himself on Weston Road near the entrance ramps to the Merritt Parkway believing that the vehicles would travel back in that direction. At this time, he was able to successfully deploy a stop stick tire deflation device that was then struck by both of these vehicles as they passed his location. Both then entered the Merritt Parkway northbound at slow speeds with the officer following. It was confirmed through computer checks of their registrations that both vehicles were previously reported stolen and that both had been left unlocked with keys in the vehicles at the time of theft. The Cadillac had been stolen out of the town of Trumbull, Connecticut and the Honda out of the town of Shelton, Connecticut.
The Cadillac Escalade continued northbound on the Parkway, while the Honda CR-V exited into Fairfield with a Westport officer following. Shortly after exiting into Fairfield, the vehicle’s tires had fully deflated causing it to come to a stop. At that time four occupants were detained. The operator was identified as Tyjon Preston, age 18, of New Haven, Connecticut. He was in the company of three juveniles, also residing in New Haven, Connecticut. The Cadillac Escalade was recovered by the Connecticut State Police on Interstate 95 in the area of exit 30. It was unoccupied at the time of recovery. Found within the Honda CR-V that 20:47 2 had been recovered by Westport Police was an ignition key to a GMC Acadia. The matching GMC Acadia was located on Weston Road shortly thereafter within the town of Weston; also unoccupied. It was subsequently confirmed as having been stolen out of Easton, Connecticut. It too had been left unlocked with the key left in the vehicle at the time of theft. This was presumably the third vehicle that had been seen traveling with the Cadillac and Honda as was initially observed by the Westport Officer.
Tyjon Preston was taken into custody and subsequently charged with 53a-122 Larceny First Degree. Bond was set at $600.00. Preston was able to post this bond and was released. He is scheduled to appear at Norwalk Superior Court at 9:00am on Wednesday September 30, 2020. The three juveniles that had been in the vehicle with Preston were not immediately charged as this investigation continues. They were released to the custody of parents. Although officers were successful in apprehending these individuals, this is not usually the case, as motor vehicle burglaries and stolen vehicles have become an all too common occurrence within our community in recent weeks. Although detailed in a prior press release by this agency, expect an additional follow-up message in the coming days that will continue to highlight the gravity of this situation and the urgent need for proactivity by our residents in taking preventative measures to avert further victimization.
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It bothers me to see businesses closing due to coronavirus shutdown. Through no fault of their own, businesses had to shut down without warning and no ability to prepare for this. What bothers me the most seeing their dreams destroyed. The brick and mortar or storefronts get hammed the most because they still had rent to pay while being closed with no income.
If you own a storefront business, I want to help. Email me at Steve@DoingItLocal.com (no Facebook Messanger-email only) with a brief message about your business, where it’s located and the type of business it is. This will be a Zoom interview so you will need to know how to use Zoom and have a very good connection. It will not be live but I will edit it with product images and video you provide to me.
Let’s get you busy and tell everyone what you do!
2020-08-17@12:33pm–#Bridgeport CT–#cttraffic– Today’s vehicle fire is being hosted by Bridgeport on Route 8 northbound just past exit 5. It is slowing traffic but not worth detouring over.
Westport, CT – The following message and recap was issued by First Selectman Jim Marpe, the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Westport Emergency Response Team today:
Westport was one of the hardest hit communities in Connecticut. To provide some perspective as to the enormity of the storm, the resulting emergency response and clean-up efforts over the last 10 days:
When there are numerous traffic light outages like those experienced with Storm Isaias, the WPD cannot safely or effectively provide personnel to manually direct traffic at all of the main intersections in town. Motorists should always proceed through intersections with caution and obey temporary signage when this occurs.
DPW’s role is to remove trees and debris from the town’s right of way. DPW is not doing curbside pick-up of yard waste. Residents are urged not to put personal yard waste and debris at the curbside. Instead, the town’s Yard Waste Site at 180 Bayberry Lane is open for personal yard debris. Normal hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. to noon. This Saturday, August 15, the yard waste site will extend the hours until 3:00PM.
If you have a vulnerable resident in the home, or know of any seniors who lives alone or whose main caregiver is also elderly, register that individual with the DHS by calling 203-341-1073, so the department can proactively follow up with him or her during future emergencies.
We continue to urge residents to stay connected with the town by signing up for emergency alerts and press notifications and following us on all Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. As we saw with this storm, cellular and internet can go out too. We urge all residents purchase a radio and preset 90.3FM in the case of an emergency.
As part of any and all emergency incident standard procedures, the Town Emergency Operations Command Team (EOC) will debrief and discuss the process, protocols and communications that occurred during Storm Isaias. A summary evaluation of the emergency situation and an identification of what worked and what didn’t is required from all EOC members. Each will make recommendations for improved procedures during future emergency incidents and will collaborate with other members on those processes.
There were many examples of neighbors helping neighbors and people stepping up to help in the midst of the emergency. Most Westporters came together and demonstrated resilience and an inherent capacity to help those around them. I want to express my deepest gratitude to those residents and town employees who exhibited patience, cooperation and understanding under very trying circumstances.
– Online: www.westportct.gov
– Get Updates: Signup for emergency alerts
– Get Updates: Sign up for email subscriptions
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Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority granted his motion to open a “trial-like” proceeding to hold Eversource and United Illuminating accountable for their failed storm response. Attorney General Tong had called on PURA to open a contested case and prudence review—legal proceedings to enable the Attorney General to make the strongest claims on behalf of ratepayers and the states; seek fines, penalties and injunctive relief; and oppose the utilities’ requests for profits and reimbursement of storm-related costs. Attorney General Tong first made his request of PURA last week. When that first request was denied, Attorney General Tong filed a motion for reconsideration, cautioning that failure to open a contested case at the onset could “set the stage for an endless series of related proceedings taking years to reach conclusion.”
“This trial-like proceeding will allow us to make the strongest possible case on behalf of ratepayers, and to seek maximum fines and penalties in the swiftest amount of time. I want to thank PURA for this favorable decision, and appreciate their diligence in reconsidering our motion. Consumers are relying on this proceeding for answers and accountability,” said Attorney General Tong.
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