Government & Politics
Ray Osborne Police Commission 03-02-17

Police Chief on Recent Car Burglary Spree: 2 Arrests Helped, Other Towns Getting Similar Burglaries

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Darien isn’t unusual in getting hit with a recent rash of burglaries into unlocked motor vehicles, and it looks like the two teenagers recently arrested in town could solve a dozen of the recent burglaries, Police Chief Ray Osborne says. Speaking to the Police Commission at its regular meeting on Wednesday, Osborne said the two 17-year-old Stamford boys arrested by police admitted to quite a few burglaries. One of the boys had been found in Stamford inside an SUV stolen from Wilson Ridge Road. “Through some interviews with them, we got admissions of at least 12 other motor vehicle burglaries they had done a couple of nights previous to that [the day of the interviews],” Osborne told the commission. “Stamford ended up charging them, as well, with numerous motor vehicle burglaries,” he said.

Public Safety
Darien Police Headquarters 03-01-17

Car Stolen on Rocaton Road Last Week Found Monday in Bridgeport

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Bridgeport police on Monday found the black 2016 Audi Q5 that had been stolen from outside 15 Rocaton Road the week before. The car, valued at $42,000, had been left unlocked overnight outside the house. Someone drove off with it overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, Feb. 21 to 22. The 59-year-old owner told police that the car was unlocked and one of the sets of keys was missing. It was found at about 8 p.m. near an intersection in downtown Bridgeport according to Darien police Lt. Jeremiah Marron.

Public Safety
Police

Overnight Thefts Continue from Unlocked Darien Vehicles, Two Teens Arrested

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Editor’s note: This article has been updated near the bottom:

More unlocked cars and SUVs have been entered overnight, not only in Noroton but at the Kensett houses much farther north and on Rocaton Road in the central part of town, according to police reports. A total of 10 different people have been either seen on video surveillance, arrested or stopped by police late at night. Some of these people — including two arrested teenagers and three others dressed all in black and stopped by police on the Post Road — were mentioned in a police announcement last week. Police gave a bit more information on the circumstances surrounding two teenagers arrested after one of them was spotted on the Post Road near motor vehicle burglaries. Police also gave out more information about stopping a young man and two teenagers all in black as they ran along the Post Road just after 12 midnight on Thursday, Feb.

Public Safety
Police Patrol Car SUV Police Car Police

After 20 Vehicles Entered, Several Thefts, 2 Cars Stolen in Two Weeks, Police Arrest 2 Teens

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Two Stamford teenagers, both 17, have been charged in connection with numerous cars being entered, several thefts from them and a stolen SUV after Darien police worked undercover in a surveillance operation, police announced Thursday morning. Here’s the police news release:

During the past two weeks over 20 car burglaries and two stolen vehicles have been reported in Darien. In all of these incidents the vehicles were left unlocked and the ignition keys were in the vehicles that were stolen. On Feb. 22, 2017 the Darien Police Department Selective Enforcement Unit, Detective Division, and Patrol Division conducted a joint surveillance operation targeting the car theft suspects.

Public Safety
Duane Lovello 02-23-17

Former Police Chief Lovello: Unlocked Cars the ‘Bane of Our Existence’ in Darien Police Department

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Reports of thefts from vehicles parked outside and left unlocked overnight are an ongoing frustration for Darien police, according to former Police Chief Duane Lovello. Police officers get information on each theft, ask neighbors if anything was seen or heard, then file reports on a crime that could be largely prevented if town residents just locked their cars. Before Lovello retired on Feb. 15, he was interviewed by Darien TV 79 Program Director Jim Cameron in an “Inside Town Hall” show that started airing two weeks ago on the town cable television station. Cameron asked Lovello, “What are some of the typical cases Darien Police Department handles?”

Public Safety
Police Darien Police Lock Your Car Every Time

Nine Vehicles Entered, Some Missing Items & One Stolen in Southwestern Corner of Darien

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Sometime between late afternoon on Monday, Feb. 13 and Tuesday morning, several unlocked vehicles parked near homes in the southwestern part of town were entered, no items were taken from them, residents told police, who soon learned of other cars entered with owners who weren’t so lucky later in the week. Two more cars were entered at 21 Wilson Ridge Road, and one — a white 2011 Land Rover that had keys in it — was stolen. That theft occurred sometime late Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 15.

Public Safety
Lock Your Car Darien cops 02-16-17

Unlocked in Darien: Police Ask Residents to Lock Cars, Prevent Thefts

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In a recent interview, Duane Lovello, who just-retired as Darien police chief, said that town residents who leave their cars unlocked are the “bane of our existence.” Here’s a public announcement from Darien Police on the problem of unlocked vehicles, which points out that when you leave a car unlocked, it doesn’t just hurt you — it can potentially hurt others, especially if a stolen vehicle is pursued by police. On Wednesday night, for example, an unlocked vehicle with keys in it was stolen in Stamford and crashed in Darien, according to Stamford police. Since the beginning of the year, 12 cars have been reported entered, many with items stolen from them, and there have been three stolen cars in town, according to police. Here’s the announcement:

Yes, the Town of Darien is a very safe community.  So safe that residents don’t feel the need to lock their cars.  In fact, many choose to leave the keys in their cars, most likely for convenience.  As a result, a reputation has been established that Darien is very welcoming to car thieves.

Public Safety
Police Patrol Car SUV Police Car Police

Car Stolen in Noroton Bay Neighborhood, Two Others Entered

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A 2012 Audi Q5 was stolen overnight on Baywater Drive, and two other vehicles in the Noroton Bay neighborhood were also entered on the same night last week, residents told police. The vehicles were parked at homes on Baywater Drive, Shipway Road and Waverly Road near Weed Beach (these links show the streets, the pins on the Google Maps are not meant to indicate exact locations on the streets). Darien police gave these accounts of the three incidents, all of which occurred sometime from the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 7 to Wednesday, Feb. 8:
Stolen Car on Baywater Drive
A 44-year-old resident of the street parked the car in her driveway at about 10:15 p.m. She said she was unsure whether or not she locked the car, and she still had the key with her, although the original key had been lost a year ago.

Public Safety
Police Darien Police Lock Your Car Every Time

Unlocked Vehicles Entered Overnight on Holmes Ave

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Three unlocked vehicles parked overnight on Holmes Avenue were entered overnight from Saturday to Sunday, Jan. 21 to 22, but nothing was reported stolen. The car and two SUVs — two of them in driveways — were left unlocked despite numerous thefts and attempted thefts from unlocked vehicles in the area. All three vehicles were parked on the section of the street south of Middlesex Road, in the area between 80 and 100 Holmes Ave. A woman, 32, told police that her white 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe had been parked in her driveway overnight.