One Seymour police commissioner says the town needs a downtown walking patrol officer again.
Commissioner Frank Conroy Jr. brought up the idea at Seymour’s Board of Police Commissioners Special Meeting Thursday.
The police department used to have a downtown patrol officer, who would walk the area of Main Street. The beat was eventually phased out.
“If the police officer is there, he should be visible,” Conroy said. “He should be someone who goes out and talks to the merchants, or even the people walking the streets.”
Conroy said he brought the idea up after seeing a similar patrol in Ansonia.
“What I witnessed in Ansonia, I thought was very positive,” Conroy said. “Everybody was talking to him. People were walking by and saying ‘hi.’ He generally knew 90 percent of the people. They were on a first-name basis, which was very good.”
Lt. Paul Satkowski said the department could look into the idea.
He said the foot patrols give the department a high level of visibility, but also limit the amount of area the police officer can cover.
No Left Turn Signs Proposed
Conroy also proposed putting up a ‘No Left Turn’ sign on Route 67 at the intersection of Spruce Street, near the Webster Bank.
There used to be a sign there, but it has since been removed — either by vandals or by accident.
Conroy said he was concerned about an accident happening at the intersection.
“It doesn’t have to be strict enforcement,” Conroy said. “What we are trying to do is to correct a problem that could be a major problem. It is a preventable thing.”
Satkowski said he could look into contacting the Connecticut Department of Transportation to determine if a new sign should be placed there.
“I’ll review [the situation] by early next week,” Satkowski said. “I will more than likely report it to the DOT, as I believe it is DOT signage.”
Satkowski explained that the DOT will have to go through a process of inspecting and surveying the area, before they decide whether or not to add a sign.
