Police officers drew their guns to confront a burglar at the top of a staircase in a Darien home last month, and when he fled elsewhere in the house, according to the police report, they followed, not knowing if he was armed, too.
The Dec. 15 incident, previously reported by Darienite.com and others, involved a number of police officers who were later thanked by a resident of the house in a letter to the department that we publish here (see below).
Darien Police not only arrested the burglar, who was wearing a watch and gold chain owned by a resident of the house, and the burglar had stolen other items from the home and they found other items in his car, and they’ve been working to connect those items to other thefts in the area, according to the police account.
Here’s the letter, which was brought up at a recent meeting of the Police Commission:
Dec. 21, 2015
Chief Duane J. Lovello Darien Police Department 25 Hecker Ave.
Darien, CT 06820
Dear Chief Lovello:
My wife and I are writing to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Darien Police Department for its efforts responding to a burglary at our home on Dec. 15, 2015.
Specifically, we’d like to commend Officers Nicholas Aranzullo and Michael Dos Santos. Their professionalism and prompt response led to the apprehension of the suspect while he was still in our house.
Apprehending the suspect so quickly allowed for the return to us of many sentimentally and monetarily valuable items, including my wife’s engagement ring and jewelry inherited from my late grandmother. We cannot begin to convey how grateful we are to Officers Aranzullo and Dos Santos for their actions on Dec. 15.
Additionally, we would like to commend Detectives Andrew Mastroianni and Saverio Boccuzzi, who were professional, polite, understanding, and helpful throughout the entire process. We also understand that Sargent T.J. Whyte and Sargent Jeremiah Marron responded to our home, and we would like to convey our thanks for their efforts, as well.
In short, we could not be more grateful for Darien’s fantastic police department. It is our sincere hope that the officers involved in the response to our home last week are commended for their fine efforts.
Sincerely,
[Name of Darien resident]
cc:
J. Paul Johnson, Chairman, Darien Police Commission
Robert F. Harrel, Secretary, Darien Police Commission
Kim Huffard, Member, Darien Police Commission
Jayme J. Stevenson, First Selectman