Police substation coming to high-rises
Plan is to boost security and build rapport with Thames River Apartment residents
New London — New London police plan to open a substation at Thames River Apartments in the coming weeks that police hope will not only boost security but also help officers to build a rapport with the residents there.
The idea is the result of a partnership between police and the New London Housing Authority. The authority long has been aware of the lack of security and the ease at which outsiders can enter any of the three federally subsidized Crystal Avenue high-rises.
Housing Authority board of commissioners Chairwoman Betsy Gibson said some residents have complained of illegal drug activity and more recently about homeless people sleeping inside the buildings. Entrances to the buildings, home to 124 units, are not secured in any way.
The authority has agreed to allow police to use a small community room at one of the buildings for the substation.
New London Police Capt. Brian Wright said details of how often the station will be manned and when it will be opened still are being worked out.
The idea, he said, is to provide a work space for police officers patrolling the area as well as an outlet for residents. Some people might feel more comfortable talking to an officer near their home rather than going to the police department.
“It may provide an opportunity for police officers and residents to engage. It’s a means to strengthen and develop relationships,” Wright said. “The more comfortable the setting, the better service we can provide.”
Success at the one location could lead to others in the city, he said.
Gibson said any additional security was in part prompted by the substandard rating given to the authority by the federal Department of
Housing and Urban Development in a recent assessment that was in part based on conditions at Thames River Apartments.
The complex also was the target of a class-action lawsuit that ended with a court order requiring replacement housing.
“One of the priorities of the Housing Authority is to provide safe and sanitary living conditions for all residents,” Gibson said. “These are just little steps but shows we're trying to listen to their concerns and take action and show HUD we're doing something.”
Meanwhile, Gibson said the Housing Authority continues to work on an application to HUD for subsidized housing vouchers that will enable the residents of the high-rises to move elsewhere. The ultimate goal for some is to demolish the apartment buildings in favor of a new development or new homes.
A Massachusetts firm enlisted by the authority also is working to obtain approvals for an affordable-housing complex off Colman Street, at the site of the former Edgerton School.
New London Chief Administrative Officer Steve Fields called the establishment of the substation “basic community policing” and a way to better integrate police into the community.
The addition of the substation also comes at a time when the Housing Authority has granted access to several of its buildings to the organization Citizens On Patrol (COP), a group of volunteers who will patrol the hallways and report misdeeds to police.
Fields said the volunteers could act as the eyes and ears of police, informing them of potential criminal activity, inappropriate conduct and other quality-of-life issues.
“They seem very interested in the safety of the community,” Fields said. “I'm very supportive.”
“One of the priorities of the Housing Authority is to provide safe and sanitary living conditions for all residents. These are just little steps but shows we’re trying to listen to their concerns and take action and show HUD we’re doing something.” BETSY GIBSON, HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS CHAIRWOMAN