As of last week the police department’s new e‑mail notification system included 75 percent of the estimated 330 businesses in the city, Chief of Police Kevin Hale said.
The notification system should be fully operational by the fall.
The general idea for the system came from Joan Radin, owner of Lear Pharmacy at 198 Wakelee Ave., after two recent robberies in the Wakelee Avenue area.
Radin was a victim of a robbery some 20 years ago by a drug addict who was robbing pharmacies all over the area, she said.
Criminal acts often show patterns, such as a person passing phony prescriptions. It makes sense to inform business owners of criminal hot spots and trends, Radin said.
Radin, who has owned Lear Pharmacy for 35 years, said pharmacies previously used a telephone tree to keep informed.
“Years ago we had a lot of independent pharmacies in the area,” Radin said. “We had a system where if we received a forged prescription … I would call three pharmacists, those three pharmacists would call three more. Within two hours, everyone knew.”
Hale said merchants signing up for the e‑mail will receive information on items such as burglaries, credit card scams and other crimes.
Business owners will also be able to pass information and tips to police.
The registry also gives police a list of emergency contacts for city merchants.
“There will be a better flow of communication both ways,” Hale said.
Radin was grateful to the Ansonia Police Department for quickly creating the notification system.
“There’s really no true Main Street in this town. There are businesses all over. There are about 67 businesses here on Wakelee Avenue,” Radin said. “This is information for everyone.”
Any business in Ansonia looking to join the email blast system should contact the police department, where a survey/sign-up form is available.
For more information, call Det. Gerald Tenney at (203) 735‑6398.
“We can’t do this alone,” Hale said. “We have to rely on the help of others.”
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