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?”

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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Three Vehicles Entered Overnight Dec 18 to 21 on Holmes Ave

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Three Holmes Avenue residents told police their vehicles were entered sometime from Sunday to Wednesday, Dec. 18 to 21. Police said some change and a basketball hoop were taken, and one victim reported seeing a suspect. The incidents occurred from the east end of Holmes Avenue, near its eastern intersection with West Avenue and elsewhere along the street up to an area near the intersection of Holmes Avenue and Holmes Court, about a third of a mile away. Overnight thefts from motor vehicles have been reported in the area several times in recent months (see below for previous stories).

Darien Police: Leaving Your Car Running is a Bad Idea & Can Be Against the Law

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We know the frigid weather is on its way, but never leave your car running while unattended.  With the cold gripping much of the nation, thousands of drivers are starting their cars and leaving them idling for a few minutes while they warm up on cold mornings. 

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— an announcement from Darien Police
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The Bad Idea Part
It’s a bad idea even if you are planning to make just a quick stop somewhere. Many vehicle thefts are crimes of opportunity, and a person could decide to make off with your vehicle if they see that it is empty and has the engine running. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says that one out of every five stolen vehicles had keys in them, while nearly half of vehicles were unlocked when stolen. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, most of today’s cars do not require more than 30 seconds to warm up.  An idling car can burn as much as a half-gallon of gas in an hour, so turning the car off is more fuel efficient and causes less air pollution. The Against-the-Law Part
Did you know you might be violating the law?  In an effort to protect our air, environment and health, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) adopted a regulation in 2004 that prohibits vehicles of all kinds from unnecessary idling for more than 3 minutes.

Police Darien Police Lock Your Car Every Time

Vehicles Outside Four, Maybe Five Homes Entered Overnight on Two Darien Streets

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Vehicles were entered overnight from Sunday to Monday, Dec. 4 to 5 on two streets in town, not far from each other but not very close either. A Macbook Pro was taken from one vehicle, a couple of pairs of sunglasses from another. The burglaries took place on Birch Road and Rocaton Road. There was no sign of forced entry, and all of the vehicles appeared to have been unlocked.

Marcus Colon arrest photo Hamden Police 912-08-16

Stamford Man, 22, Arrested in Hamden, Charged with Theft of Darien Car, Other Property

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Hamden police say that when an officer found an unoccupied, stolen Darien car parked Tuesday at Sleeping Giant State Park, a 22-year-old Stamford man and two other people later got in it. Hamden police described what happened with this account, including accusations not proven in court:

Marcus Colon, 22, one of the three people who got in the car (the others were a male and a female, Lovello said), was charged with stealing the vehicle and some of the stolen items in it, which police identified as having come from “numerous” burglaries in Stamford. Darien police detectives are looking into whether any of the items found in the car were stolen in Darien burglaries, Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello told the town Police Commission on Wednesday. Lovello said a male and a female who got in the car with Colon were also arrested, but Hamden police did not confirm that in their news release. ____________

See also:

Car Stolen from West Avenue Recovered by Hamden Police, Three Arrested (Dec.

Police Darien Police Lock Your Car Every Time

Car Stolen from West Avenue Recovered by Hamden Police, Three Arrested

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Two males and a female were arrested by Hamden Police on Wednesday after they were found in a 2010 red Hyundai Sonata which was stolen from a West Avenue condominium building’s parking lot, according to Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello. “The vehicle contained what appears to be a very large amount of proceeds from other crimes, so the [Darien] Detective Bureau is working on that,” Lovello told the Darien Police Commission at its meeting Wednesday. More information is expected to be released at Monday’s police news briefing. The car had been parked in the lot unlocked and with the keys in it by the owner at 3 p.m. on Nov. 1.

Darien Police SUV on Road

Unlocked Car Entered on Lake Drive, Thief Scared Off by Alarm and Resident

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When a man in a Lake Drive home heard an alarm late Saturday night, he went out the front door to see a thief sitting in the man’s unlocked 2014 Honda Accord. When the thief — described as a white male, about 20 years old, wearing khaki pants and a dark colored hoodie — realized he’d been seen, he ran off. The incident occurred at about 10 p.m. and was reported to police by 10:15 p.m.

Nothing was taken from the car and police didn’t see the suspect. Police asked neighbors if they saw or knew of anything related to the incident, but no one had.

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Thefts from Four Motor Vehicles Across Darien Saturday, Another Reported Friday

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In four spots around town, motor vehicles, all apparently unlocked, were entered Saturday or overnight from Friday to Saturday, Nov. 11 to 12, Darien police said.  

The vehicles were parked in various places around town — Intervale Road, Revere Road, Noroton Avenue and the parking lot of Darien Ice Rink — and police know nothing to indicate that the incidents are related, although the locations on Noroton Avenue and Revere Road are not far from each other. In a fourth incident last week involving a theft from a motor vehicle, a laptop was stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked at Darien High School on Election Day, Nov. 8, when school was not in session.

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Unlocked Car Stolen Overnight on West Ave, Cars Entered Nearby on Park Lane

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Someone stole a red 2010 Hyundai Sonata parked outside the condominium building at 410 West Ave. overnight from Nov. 1 to 2, and on nearby Park Lane, near the Stamford border, at least two unlocked vehicles were entered. Darien police gave this account:

At 3 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1, the owner parked the car in the lot behind the building, didn’t lock it and left the keys in it.

Police Darien Police Lock Your Car Every Time

Cars Entered on Various Nights on or Near Hoyt Street Over the Weekend

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Nine vehicles parked by homes were entered overnight from Sunday to Monday morning, Sept. 18 to 19, at various streets on the western side of town, all of them off of Hoyt Street or not far from it, police said. The cars were entered on Lake Drive, where some items were taken from them, as well as on Georgian Lane (off of Christie Hill Road and the only street not intersecting with Hoyt Street), Phillips Lane, Lake Drive, Hoyt Court and Echo Drive North. Except for the cars on Lake Drive, nothing was reported stolen, but owners knew the cars had been entered when items from glove compartments or glove boxes were strewn about inside the vehicles, or doors were left open. Cars parked at two other houses further north on Hoyt Street were entered earlier in the weekend, possibly the night before, police said.

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Credit Cards Taken from Unlocked Car Parked at Woodway Country Club

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A Darien woman who parked her unlocked car in a lot near the Woodway Country Club swimming pool discovered later that her credit cards were missing, police said. The incident occurred Tuesday, Aug. 23. The woman, a 41-year-old resident of Walmsley Road, parked her car in the lot at 412 Hoyt St. at about 11:45 a.m. and returned to it at about 2 p.m. When she did, she noticed something odd.