Valley Independent Sentinel

Ansonia Sees Large Increase In Drug Crimes

by Jodie Mozdzer | Feb 1, 2012 10:13 pm

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Posted to: Ansonia, Police

Drug violations in Ansonia more than doubled in 2011.

In 2010, the department dealt with 58 drug and narcotics violations — which include arrests and investigations into drug activity.

In 2011, that number jumped to 141 — the highest figure in the last 10 years in Ansonia. That’s a 143 percent increase over one year.

Police Chief Kevin Hale said the increase is a result of the department’s new Anti-Crime Unit — a three-person undercover team of Ansonia officers who have been cracking the drug culture in Ansonia since April.

“Patrol officers are doing a very good job in enforcing that. But they are limited by a marked patrol car and by a uniform,” Chief Hale said. “This (Anti-Crime Unit) is just another tool to fill that void.”

In 2011 alone, the Anti-Crime Unit has arrested 52 different people for drug offenses in Ansonia, Hale said. Several of those people were charged on multiple warrants.

For example, in October Ansonia police arrested several alleged drug dealers on 10 different warrants. On a single raid in December, the department arrested eight people.

Hale said because of the secrecy of drug dealing, it’s hard to know if the actual numbers of drug offenses saw an uptick in 2011, or if the Anti-Crime Unit was just catching more of the existing drug users and dealers.

“We can’t prove what was here prior,” Hale said.

But, Hale said, the new undercover unit will continue to operate in the city to catch and try to diminish drug dealing.

“It’s something I wanted to do a long time ago,” Hale said. “We never got into the position where we had enough staffing. It developed partly as a result of the two homicides we had in the spring. We wanted to do some undercover work there. It turned out we were able to do that, and also open up some drug cases.”

The two homicides — Isaia Hernandez was shot and killed in March 2011 on Wakelee Avenue. His killing happened just days after Daryl Rhys Venson, 25, was shot at killed in Ansonia near the intersection of Hill Street and Root Avenue.

The Anti-Crime Unit sometimes works with departments in other towns if they are seeing similar suspected drug dealers, Hale said. But the unit stands on its own in investigating most Ansonia cases.

Derby also saw an increase in its narcotics statistics in 2011. Click here to read a story about that city’s efforts to fight drug dealing.

Hale said Ansonia’s efforts are helped by residents who are willing to give police information.

Once those residents see arrests, they are more likely to call with more information, Hale said.

“People are seeing the results,” Hale said. We’re going into neighborhoods and tracking nuisance locations. As a result, we’re getting more information in. And as a result it keeps evolving.”

Homicides

Ansonia also saw a large jump in the number of homicides.

In 2011, there were three homicides in the city — after a year of relative quiet with zero in 2010.

The homicides included two fatal shootings and a baby that died of blunt force trauma under the care of his mother’s boyfriend.

Police arrested the boyfriend, 35-year-old Angel Luis Santiago, in December and charged him with first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault and first-degree risk of injury.

Santiago’s case is working its way through Superior Court in Milford, where he is due back on Feb. 15.

The other two homicides remain unsolved.

On March 9, Daryl Venson, 25, was shot and killed on the corner of Root Avenue and Hill Street.

A week later, Isaia Hernandez, 25, was shot and killed outside a gas station on Wakelee Avenue.

Hale said the two cases are still a main priority of the department — and even prompted the Anti-Crime Unit to form.

“We’re still working very hard on the two that are open from last year, and we will continue to do so,” Hale said.

THE NUMBERS

Arson
2010 — 3
2011 — 2

Aggravated assault
2009 — 6
2010 — 6
2011 — 6

Theft From Buildings
2009 — 56
2010 — 71
2011 — 57

Drug Violations
2009 – 76
2010 — 58
2011 — 141

Robberies
2008 — 12
2009 — 24
2010 — 17
2011 — 20

Car theft
2009 — 36
2010 — 31
2011 — 41

Murder/Homicides
2009 — 2
2010 — 0
2011 — 3

Counterfeit/Forgeries
2009 — 3
2010 — 12
2011 — 18

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