the Town of Greenwich by Frank Trotta

Greenwich Bank and Trust Bank Robbery update

1/30/2015
7:43 PM

The female in these photos is a person of interest in the armed bank robbery of Greenwich Bank and Trust that occurred on Friday Jan 30th, 2015.

The female is believed to be wearing white or tan boots and was last seen running east through the Sheephill Mobil Gas Station.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or anyone with information on the female subject’s identity is asked to contact Det. O’Neill
(203-622-3684) or Det. Perusse (203-622-8039).

If encountered, do not confront the subject. The subject is believed to be armed.

Greenwich Detective Division Tipline all calls are confidential
203 622 3333
1 800 372 1176
tips@greenwichct.org

This is the pro-police bumper-sticker that Sam Romeo designed, paid for and is distributing. If you want one, ask Sam at greenwichmatters@wgch.com or call into his radio show (203 661 5051) Thursday evenings 6 to 8.

Sam is going to have a “spotters alert” out there. He said, “We will put it on air when you spot one call the show on Thursdays or email me at greenwichmatters@wgch.com to report the location .I will be sending some of these out to other states. I want to track this it will be like where’s Waldo.”

Fatal Accident
Motor Vehicle vs Pedestrian
King Street
GPD # 15-00000535
Greenwich CT: Shortly before 7:00 AM this morning a 51 year old woman was struck and killed by a car as she crossed King Street at Anderson Hill Road.
Preliminary investigation has revealed the deceased is a resident of Elmsford, NY and this morning she and a co-worker traveled to Greenwich on a Westchester County mass transportation Bee-Line bus. After exiting the bus, the victim began to the cross from the west side of King Street to the east side. The deceased was struck by a passenger car in the easternmost lane of northbound traffic.
The deceased suffered severe injuries and was transported to the Greenwich Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The operator, and sole occupant of the passenger car, was not injured.
The deceased name will not be released pending the notification of her extended family.
The Greenwich Police Department Traffic Section is conducting the investigation. If anyone was a witness to the accident please contact Traffic Technician Drenth at (203) 622-8014.

Officer of the Month
December, 2014
Officer Michael Macchia and canine Tyro

Officer Michael Macchia and his canine partner Tyro are the recipients of the Officer of the Month award for December 2014 for their meritorious service.

The position of K9 officer is highly competitive and extremely coveted. The effectiveness of the K9 Team is a force multiplier within the Department and is in constant demand for their unique services. The K9 Team is often called upon at any hour of the day seven days a week regardless of the weather or holiday. A handler has to provide continuous care and training to their partner in order to maintain rigid certifications. The position has a daily intensity level which few outsiders can understand.

Over the last seven years, the K-9 Team of Officer Macchia and Canine Tyro have been involved in numerous high risk incidents both in Greenwich and around the State of Connecticut. They have frequently worked with the State Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration during dangerous narcotics searches and arrests. They have also been an essential element of the Police Department’s outreach to the community by conducting school talks and public demonstrations. The K9 team has also been deployed for their ability to locate lost children or endangered adults.

“Every police officer has a multifaceted role in the community which is much more than just Law Enforcement; Police Officers are peace keepers, mentors, first responders, and community caretakers. Tyro in the capable hands of Officer Macchia has been an important part of fulfilling those diverse goals. Upon the well-deserved retirement of Canine Tyro, they are both commended for their loyal and faithful service to the community.”—Chief James J. Heavey

In retirement Tyro will remain with Officer Macchia as a part of his family.

A disturbing trend has developed over the past several months in Connecticut and law enforcement has seen an increase in distraction burglaries and home invasion robberies. None of these more violent crimes have occurred in Greenwich, but the potential does exist.
The criminals have targeted elderly victims and usually involve two or more suspects who impersonate workers associated with tree companies, water companies or public utility companies to gain the cooperation of the victims. The suspects impersonating these workers wear some type of fraudulent identification around their necks and may even use walkie-talkies to communicate with other suspects. There are some common characteristics to be watchful for:
• The suspects using the tree cutting scheme attempt to lure the victims out of their house to show them trees on the property as another suspect enters the unlocked residence and rips off the victim.
• In the utility company scheme the suspect attempts to gain access into the home and have the homeowner follow them to a remote part of the house, at which time another suspect enters the residence and steals items while the homeowner is distracted.
• Several of the incidents where the victim had not cooperated with the suspect ended in the victim being assaulted and a home invasion occurring.
Be wary of any stranger coming to your residence unannounced and no matter what; do not open the door until you have confirmed their identity. Do not hesitate to call the police if unsure of the person or the situation.

ATM SKIMMING INCIDENTS – CONNECTICUT
Situational Awareness & Safe Banking Practices

December 3, 2014

Greenwich CT: Over the past six months, there have been an increase in ATM Skimming incidents in Connecticut.

ATM Skimming involves the attachment of electronic devices on or around the ATM for the purposes of capturing both the magnetic strip data contained on the back of a debit card as well as the PIN number that is entered by the customer when using the ATM. The devices used to capture the information will vary in shapes, sizes and designs but are made to be unobtrusive or mimic legitimate devices.

Financial institutions are working aggressively with law enforcement to counteract such criminal activity . Despite the increase in ATM skimming crimes, they are still relatively rare compared the extensive use of ATM’s in our region. When using an ATM machine follow these suggested safe banking practices to reduce the risk of being a victim of ATM Skimming:

1. Inspect the door access device prior to opening the lobby doors
(Most counterfeit devices are installed with double sided tape and are installed over the original door access device).
2. Use a different card to open the lobby doors
(Most door access devices will open with many different cards that have magnetic stripes gift cards, store cards, credit cards, etc. all work to open the door. )
3. Inspect the machine for items that were installed over or around the PIN pad of the ATM . (Customers should be looking for an attachment on the ATM that contains a small PIN hole that is pointed in the direction of the PIN pad.)
4. Lightly tug the area of the card slot.
(Most skimming devices are attached with double sided tape for quick removal by the crooks).
5. Cover the keypad with you other hand while typing your PIN.
( This is the best way to ensure that your PIN number is not recorded by a PIN Capturing Device!)

Several Sample Skimming Device Photos

PIN Capturing Device Location of PIN capturing Device camera
(Usually placed somewhere above PIN pad)

Counterfeit Door Access Device Placed over original door access Device by lobby door entrance

Skimmer placed over card slot & Partially removed

Skimmer placed over
the original card slot of the ATM

Skimmer removed from ATM

ATM SKIMMING INCIDENTS – CONNECTICUT
Situational Awareness & Safe Banking Practices

The following indicators may indicate ATM Skimming Activity is or has occurred at the location and should be reported to bank employees if the branch is open. If the bank is not open, the local police department should be notified:

1. Card slot of the ATM is loose or has fallen off, or other parts of the ATM machine have dislodged from the ATM.
2. The presence of double sided tape on the ATM machine or presence of glue or pry marks around the card slot of the ATM.
3. If the door access device at the lobby door has been removed or is not securely attached to the wall.
4. Observation of person(s) attaching or removing or tampering with parts of the ATM machine.
5. Subjects who are using the ATM and are intentionally covering their faces to avoid being depicted (ex. ski masks, hats, scarfs and sunglasses during nighttime use at the ATM).
6. Person(s) using multiple cards one after another in order to withdraw funds from an ATM (may be using counterfeit cards from a skimming incident).
7. Subjects spending long periods of time outside ATM machines and periodically inspect the machine but do not conduct transactions.

Customers should not touch or remove any skimming devices that are detected on the machine. Furthermore, customers should not attempt to confront suspects if they are attaching or removing ATM skimming devices. The presence of skimming devices on an ATM machine should be immediately reported to local law enforcement and to bank management if the branch is open.

Officer of the Month
November, 2014
Officer Jeremy Bussell

In October of 2014, Officer Jeremy Bussell investigated two separate burglaries within a weeks’ time. Officer Bussell realized that the two burglaries were linked. Rather than release the investigation to the Detectives he conducted all phases of this investigation. Officer Bussell’s thorough investigation led to the identification of an unknown suspect with an extensive criminal past and the solving of two local burglaries.

When it comes to Patrol Officers investigating crimes, the Greenwich Police Department has a different perspective than many other departments of our size. Agencies often send Patrol Officers to settle a situation and leave all follow up investigations to a Detective. In Greenwich, we expect our Patrol Officers to follow up all investigations to their most logical conclusion before turning an investigation over to the Detectives. In many instances, the Patrol Officer may work a case starting from the initial response, to an application for an arrest warrant, to the apprehension of the suspect. This practice often leaves our Detectives with only the most complex, difficult, and time consuming criminal cases to investigate. We can utilize this organizational format for the distribution of police work due to our officer’s superior training and ability. In this instance Jeremy’s performance matched our high expectations and demonstrated exceptional initiative and investigative aptitude.

I commend Officer Bussell for his professionalism and dedication to duty.

Submitted by: Kraig Gray
Email: kgray@greenwichct.org
Submission Date: September 23, 2014

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts

Crooks use clever schemes to defraud millions of people every year. They often combine sophisticated technology with age-old tricks to get people to send money or give out personal information. They add new… twists to old schemes and pressure people to make important decisions on the spot. One thing that never changes: they follow the headlines — and the money.
Phishing Scams ask you to confirm or provide personal information (credit card and bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, etc.). The sender already may have some personal information about you, stolen as part of a data breach. Don’t let that fool you. Legitimate companies don’t ask for sensitive personal data via email or text.
The text below is from an actual attempted EMAIL Phising Scam of one of our Greenwich residents…DO NOT RESPOND, delete these emails and text message of a similar nature!!

“We are pleased to notify you of your Electronic award for $2.7 million Dollars. Your award was announced on 2nd December, 2013and you only have 11 weeks to respond! Necessary to process claims such as: Name:, Address:, Tel/Fax:, Cell/Mobile:, Email:, Alternative Email:, Age:, Occupation NOTE: The ONLY requirement to complete payout is to obtain or process a Tax Identification Number (TIN). Non-EU citizens qualify for Tax Exemptions. However, any winner who does not qualify for Tax Exemption, 25% Tax rate applies and it is deducted before payout is completed”

Don’t be tempted by what they are offering, be wary of what they are asking for! Legitimate companies don’t ask for sensitive personal data via email or text.

Press Release
For Immediate Release
The Greenwich Police Department has one hundred fifty five sworn officers,
Serving a community of 61,000, within approximately 67.2 square miles.
Lieutenant Kraig Gray
Public Information Officer
Tel: 203-622-3620, Fax: 203-618-8866
kgray@greenwichct.org
Submitted by: Lt. Kraig Gray
Email: kgray@greenwichct.org
Submission Date: September 10, 2014
Retirement Announcement
Court Liaison Officer William Romanello
October 1980 to August 2014
Chief of Police James Heavey announced the retirement of Court Liaison Officer William “Beans” Romanello, who completed 33 years of service with the Greenwich Police Department. His retirement was effective September 1, 2014
Court Officer Romanello was born and raised in Greenwich and graduated from Greenwich High School. Prior to his appointment as a Police Officer, he was employed as a Town of Greenwich Summer Beach Special and was a volunteer Special Police Officer. He was also previously employed by the Greenwich Police Department as a civilian Police Dispatcher.
On October 20, 1980 Court Officer Romanello was sworn in as a Greenwich Police Officer and graduated from the 157th session of the Connecticut Municipal Police Basic Police Academy. Romanello’s assignments included Patrol Officer, Police Dispatcher (1995) and Court Officer (1998)
Court Officer Romanello has received numerous departmental commendations for excellent police work and actions exemplifying the finest traditions of police service. His commendations were for a wide array of incidents reflecting the diverse nature of services provided by the Greenwich Police Department; robbery apprehensions, VIP security details, as well as outstanding medical assistance. Court Officer Romenello’s greatest strength has always been in the area of the police Communication Center.
Throughout his long career his expertise would be channeled back to the Communication Center no matter what his current assignment might have been. Court Officer Romanello would maintain his certification as trainer and throughout his career provided innumerable hours of training for Police Officers and communication specialists assigned to the Communications Center. He received several Chief’s Commendations for dispatching excellence as well as several letters from a grateful public for his calm professionalism and compassion. His expertise in the dispatch center would be called upon by the department’s administrators in 1992 when he was asked to author a modern Enhanced 911 Communications Center Policy.

Press Release

Greenwich has joined many city and towns across the country and have adopted the black and white color scheme for their marked cars. All Police Interceptors have six cylinder engines replacing the eight cylinder CVPI engines, but deliver higher horsepower.

The Police Interceptor is a pursuit rated vehicle purpose built to more demanding law enforcement performance standards. It is offered in two models: sedan and utility. We’ve purchased both. They are all wheel drive and have many interchangeable parts, making it easy for Fleet to maintain a parts inventory.

The cars are equipped with single prisoner cages to maximize the space for equipment and personnel needs. The cars are equipped with backup cameras for added safety. The vehicles have a second, low frequency siren (Growler) which is becoming the standard for various emergency response vehicles.

Ten marked cars were purchased in the FY 13-14 budget. Five sedans and five SUVs. They will be incorporated into the Fleet as the current CVPI’s are retired. Cars are replaced based on age, mileage and mechanical condition. All the CVPI’s are expected to be replaced over three to four years. The new markings were incorporated into the black and white color scheme. The decals include all reflective materials for higher visibility and officer and public safety. It will take sometime before the entire fleet has been changed over and Greenwich Citizens can expect to see both the old and new color schemes until then.

Retired Officer Mark Wilson, a Greenwich native and car enthusiast, recalled that Greenwich’s Police Department color scheme had been green and white from at least the early 1950’s until the 1970’s. In the 70’s the national trend for a Police Cruiser was a shade of blue however it never really took off. Today, in the 21st century the national trend of the Black and White Cruiser has taken hold. Mark believes that pop culture might be part of the influence but he is in agreement; The Black and White is a dignified scheme which alerts everyone that this vehicle is a police cruiser.