Portland rally shows support for law enforcement

PORTLAND — Scores of people turned out Saturday to show their support for police and law enforcement.

The rally drew residents and off-duty law enforcement officers from Portland and beyond.

The rally was the idea of Robert Cosenza, a retired Meriden firefighter who has family members who are law enforcement officers.

Cosenza had previously held a similar rally in his hometown of Hebron.

“It’s definitely a great turnout,” a beaming Cosenza said.

“It’s definitely been very positive,” he said.

Cosenza said he was so encouraged by the turnout that he is considering approaching Middletown officials about holding a similar rally in the city.

Town officials, including First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield, Fire Chief Robert Shea, members of the Board of Selectmen, and Town Clerk Ryan J. Curley, joined by state Rep. Christie Carpino, R-Cromwell, who was accompanied by her daughter, were on hand as well.

“I support our police not just here in town but across the nation,” Portland resident Darlene Rice said, as she stood at the intersection of Main Street and Marlborough streets.

“I’m (here) just because I believe in them,” Rice added.

Passing motorists honked their vehicle horns to signal their support.

In addition to voicing their support for police in general, several of the people at the rally said they were particularly troubled by attacks on law enforcement personnel.

Several mentioned the shooting on Sept. 12 of two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies.

Although seriously wounded, both deputes survived and are expected to recover, according to news reports.

Marlene, a Durham resident who declined to give her last name, said she came to the rally “because I believe the police need our support.”

Raymond Lanoie, who served two tours with the Army in Vietnam, and his wife Beverly, who is a nurse, traveled from Hebron for the rally.

Their families are dotted with present and former law enforcement officers, the couple said.

The attacks on police officers weighed on husband and wife Bob and Jennifer Vanacore as well, they said.

Jennifer Vanacore is a nurse, while her husband,an Army veteran, is an East Hartford police officer. The couple has been married for 17 years.

Bob Vanacore said he gave his wife a ride-along a year or more ago, so she could better appreciate the ins and outs of his job.

He won’t repeat the offer any time soon, Bob Vanacore said.

“Things are so unpredictable now,” and he won’t take a chance on her safety, Vanacore said.

Jennifer Vanacore said that, in addition to violence against police officers, the couple also is concerned about the police accountability bill passed by the legislature last month, as officers “hands are tied even more.”