Train station safety issues have some apprehensive

As published in the Record Journal Sunday June 9, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — With a new train station will come added responsibilities for the Police Department, said Deputy Chief William Wright.

The station will be built at the intersection of South Cherry and Parker streets, according to state Department of Transportation plans. Construction is to begin in early 2014.

Wright said that “anytime you add another facility to the town, it is an added responsibility.”

“We are short-staffed,” Wright said, “but responsible policing will take control.”

Security concerns regarding the station were brought up by several town councilors at a public input session two weeks ago. At the meeting, state DOT officials presented plans for the new station. Plans include emergency telephones to be installed throughout the station and two parking lots. John Bernick, who is managing the New Haven-Hartford- Springfield commuter rail project that was the emphasis for the new station, said that the new station will be designed to be open, well-lit and safe. Bernick said cameras will be installed throughout the station and parking lots, and the station will be built with see-through paneling because “you want to be able to see what you’re walking into before you get into it.”

Councilors expressed concern over the fact that there will be no security personnel provided by the state or Amtrak at the station. Since the station won’t have security, Wright said it will become part of the department’s routine patrol. Just as is done in the current train station, Wright said officers will periodically walk through and patrol the new station on foot. “We are out on foot very often,” he said. Still, it’s “impossible to see every nook and cranny.”

Also, councilors said during the meeting that they feel cameras won’t help with safety because there would be no live feed anywhere. Bernick said the cameras are to serve as a deterrent, and to help catch criminals after the fact.

Video is only really useful “after the fact,” Wright said.

In Meriden, Bernick said some police officers will receive a live feed of video from the city’s new train station on displays in vehicles.

“Currently, we don’t have that technology in our patrol cars,” Wright said.

During the meeting two weeks ago, Town Councilor Craig Fishbein brought up concerns about the design of the parking lots. Bernick said the lots will be surrounded by foliage so that people in neighboring homes don’t have to look at a parking lot when they look out of their windows. Also, lighting in the lots will dim after a certain hour so the light does not bother neighbors late at night.

Fishbein said during the meeting that this design might actually attract crime.

“It remains a concern,” Fishbein said Friday.

“We share those concerns,” Wright said. But Wright said that he understands the complexities of trying to fit a new building where there has never been one.

The state is “trying to be a good neighbor,” he said. Wright said he understands both sides of the argument, and that responsible policing will prevent any issues.

Police Chief Douglas Dortenzio was involved with a group of town staff that worked with the state DOT to design the station. Dortenzio was unavailable for comment on Friday. Wright said Dortenzio did provide input on potential safety issues at the new station.

For police departments everywhere,“train stations have become areas where we spend a great deal of time,” Wright said. With good design and policing, crime can be minimized, he said. “We’re concerned about any areas where mass transit occurs.”