the Town of Greenwich by Frank Trotta

The Community Impact Section was awarded Officer’s of the Month for September

Community Impact Officer’s Paladino, Hirsch, Rooney conducted a lengthy and complicated investigation into a series of over forty motor vehicle burglaries in the Town of Greenwich. They were able to develop probable cause to link one individual to these crimes and to two motor vehicle thefts through fingerprints and video surveillance. On August 21,2011 the suspect was arrested by warrant. In addition tot he Greenwich crimes the suspect is believed to have committed hundreds of similar crimes in Fairfield and Westchester Counties.

The officers of the Community Impact Section were assigned to investigate a string of car burglaries that plagued the west side of town during the Summer and Fall of 2010. The officers diligently investigated each instance of theft and were ultimately able to identify a single suspect. On the strength of the officers’ arrest warrant, the Greenwich Police Department was able to obtain two extraditable felony arrest warrants. The officers’ investigation into the whereabouts or our suspect ended when he was found to be incarcerated in New York. The suspect was eventually extradited to Connecticut to answer for his crimes.

“Officers assigned to the Community Impact Section are selected in part because of their work ethic, self starting energy, and ability to work as team. During this extensive investigation the officers invested a significant amount of their discretionary time which they balanced against their other equally important cases.

The suspect’s apprehension solved two motor vehicle thefts, forty car burglaries, and probably another one hundred car break-ins that occurred in both Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County; clearly demonstrating the positive impact that their efforts had on not only in Greenwich but upon the regional community as well. The officer’s truly lived up to the high expectation we place on this section.”

Captain Tim Berry
Patrol Division

Officer’s Keith Hirsch, Daniel Paladino, and Michael Rooney are commended for their diligence and dedication to duty.

The “Dare to Prepare” program for teens about to drive will be offered by AAA in conjunction with the Greenwich Police.  The 1½ course is free and will be offered at GPD HQ on BRuce Place on November 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.  Call Jackie Pesticci at AAA (203 765 4222 x-5241) for enrollment details.

How obnoxious of our local daily to print addresses and even photos of abandoned houses in the Town of Greenwich. (NO LINK TO THE ARTICLE INTENTIONALLY.) Why not print a road-map for vandals and other bad guys?

Taxes are a fact of life. And the campaign for Tax Collector is about “facts” and “life.”

The facts are that in the worst economy in generations, under Tod Laudonia’s leadership the Tax Collector’s office has a collection rate of 99.65%. Under Tod’s leadership they had the highest amount of pre-paid taxes ever collected. Tod successfully lowered Tax Office operating costs, while raising productivity. Tod initiated efforts to improve customer service and user-friendliness.

Those are some of the facts. As for life, Tod has spent his life living and working in Greenwich. So have four generations of his family. Tod’s life has been by, of and for the people of Greenwich. Tod knows our town and its people. And why is that important? Because the job of Tax Collector is a people’s job. Behind every tax dollar is a human being – a young couple, a retired worker, or even a shareholder of our corporate tax payers. Taxes are not just about dollars and cents – but about people and common sense. The reason Tax Collector is an elected position is so the Collector is responsive and accountable to the people. We don’t need a green-eye shade bureaucrat or an ivory-tower theorist. We need someone with an open door, willing to listen and to help. For the last two years, Tod has been that person, and that is why voters should make him that person for the next two years.