Stratford Neighbors Worry About Crime

The Connecticut Post reports: Residents in the town's Academy Hill historic district are venting concerns about a rash of home and motor vehicle break-ins, vandalism, teenage gangs and strangers casing their neighborhood.

At a forum organized Tuesday night by the Old Stratford Neighborhood Association, about 75 neighborhood residents told police about their growing uneasiness about a rise in crime over the last six months.

The meeting was scheduled after OSNA President Michael Bingham and his wife Nancy Monk returned Nov. 29 from a Thanksgiving holiday out of town to find their historic Elm Street home ransacked with "virtually every portable item of value stolen," Bingham said.

"I would ask whether we can feel safe," said Jane Kirby, a Meadow Street resident who pointed out there has been a rise in the number of boarding houses in the area.

While police officials denied there has been a community crime wave, they advised residents takes measures to safeguard their security, such as locking doors, using burglary alarms and light sensors, calling police at the first sign of trouble, and reviving the Crime Watch program.

....

Some residents said they felt as though they were being blamed for their concerns about crime.
"I'm starting to feel a little annoyed,' said the Rev. Robert Stuhlmann, pastor of Christ Episcopal Church. "I'm getting the feeling that we're being told we're too stupid, that it's our fault. Well, many of us cannot afford elaborate alarm systems."

Ramos responded, "We're not blaming anyone. We're just trying to raise awareness that cooperation and safety measures are keys to preventing crime."

Mayor James R. Miron, however, told residents, "There is a level of personal responsibility. You want to doing everything you can to tell criminals they're not welcome in your neighborhood."

To read the full article, go to http://www.connpost.com/ci_11185918