The Kent RST has left the building.

[Tapout 42]

From the www.kentcrimewatch.com site:

Sadly, 112 out of approximately 3,000 of Kent's residents voted tonight to accept the budget without the Resident Trooper Program.

112 decided for the rest of those residents

who could not attend tonight's budget vote meeting that there will be no more Resident Trooper in Kent.

Our Resident Trooper Program is now a thing of the past.

-----------------------

Sad loss for the town. And, for the record, BMeehan, I'm not Scott (the letter writer on the crimewatch forum and former RST). Not even close! But I agreed with his letter, too. Oh, well. Sign of the times, I guess.

Tapout

Edited May 19, 2009 by Tapout

[markmets415 524]

I was wondering how that went, I came over Macendonia Road today and there was road work going on just West of the Kent School and there was no trooper, which you always saw when work was being done, however there was a trooper on Main Street doing some foot patrol in and around the shops talking up the locals/visitors.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Wait, so what now, is Kent going to get a PD or are they just going to let the Troop's Patrol Sector car for the REGION respond to calls? Maybe a deal in the works with New Milford PD?

[lad12derff 283]

From the www.kentcrimewatch.com site:

Sadly, 112 out of approximately 3,000 of Kent's residents voted tonight to accept the budget without the Resident Trooper Program.

112 decided for the rest of those residents

who could not attend tonight's budget vote meeting that there will be no more Resident Trooper in Kent.

Our Resident Trooper Program is now a thing of the past.

-----------------------

Sad loss for the town. And, for the record, BMeehan, I'm not Scott (the letter writer on the crimewatch forum and former RST). Not even close! But I agreed with his letter, too. Oh, well. Sign of the times, I guess.

Tapout

You can not blame the 112 residents who "decided" for the rest of the residents, you have to blame the other 2888 residents who decided not to attend. I guess all 3000 did not want the program. The people have spoken.

[Tapout 42]

I'm not blaming anyone. I merely quoted someone else. My folks were 2 of the 112 who bothered to show up for the meeting, but obviously their vote was not of the majority (they wanted the RST to stay).

[IzzyEng4 427]

Wait, so what now, is Kent going to get a PD or are they just going to let the Troop's Patrol Sector car for the REGION respond to calls? Maybe a deal in the works with New Milford PD?

Even though there will no longer be a resident state trooper, CSP will still provide and has to provide police protection to Kent. It would just be the regular troopers conducting their patrol sectors. They will no longer have someone their to service the community while on duty in their town, now all complaints will go directly to Troop L.

Tapout, does Kent have constables or no? If so, they might be going bye-bye- too if their is no RST to direct them. Might be a rude awakening for the residents.

[Tapout 42]

Hello, Izzy... No, no constables.

My fear for my parents there is the response time- they are almost 2 miles off a back road up in the woods. Really pretty on a good day, but when needing 911 help in the form of a police officer, not so pretty. Kent VAC is right around the corner, as is the FD, but no trooper to deal with a burglar now for at least 30-40 minutes, minimum.

Hey, it's fine. By the time the trooper arrives, the bad guy will be dealt with and buried somewhere on their 30+ acres.

[Guest]

Hello, Izzy... No, no constables.

My fear for my parents there is the response time- they are almost 2 miles off a back road up in the woods. Really pretty on a good day, but when needing 911 help in the form of a police officer, not so pretty. Kent VAC is right around the corner, as is the FD, but no trooper to deal with a burglar now for at least 30-40 minutes, minimum.

Hey, it's fine. By the time the trooper arrives, the bad guy will be dealt with and buried somewhere on their 30+ acres.

I wouldn't count on much faster of a response from the VAC

[IzzyEng4 427]

Hello, Izzy... No, no constables.

My fear for my parents there is the response time- they are almost 2 miles off a back road up in the woods. Really pretty on a good day, but when needing 911 help in the form of a police officer, not so pretty. Kent VAC is right around the corner, as is the FD, but no trooper to deal with a burglar now for at least 30-40 minutes, minimum.

Hey, it's fine. By the time the trooper arrives, the bad guy will be dealt with and buried somewhere on their 30+ acres.

Thanks for the info, I couldn't remember. I bet if they had constables in their town such as Ledyard or Prospect does, then it would have been a different vote, but that's just going on by looking at other towns. Let's hope the union gets the troopers they need to properly cover their troop areas. I mean even Troop W up at the airport in Windsor Locks doens not have the proper amount of personnel for the job they do.

[Tapout 42]

Izzy, again you were right- Troop L will now provide coverage to Kent.

According to the www.KentCrimeWatch.com web site:

"Recent budgetary issues and anticipated retirements have effected all State and Municipal agencies and have drastically impacted Troop L operations and staffing. In in effort to ensure the Residents of the town of Kent as well as the other communities Troop L serves are met with the highest level of service, Tfc. Asman has been reassigned to Troop Operations. Tpr. Dennis Keane Badge #401 has been assigned to the town of Kent as the Resident Trooper effective 05/19/09 for the remainder of the contract period. Tpr. Keane has been serving with the CSP since 10/01/04. Prior to that he was a member of the New Britain Police Dept. where he was assigned to a number of community policing projects and patrol for ten years. "

I wonder 2 things: 1.what is the contract term for the temporary RST (and why even re-assign Asman? Keep him till the end of the contract term, you'd think) and 2.what will happen to this same web site? It was recently created specifically for the RST and run by the RST Tfc. Asman. It's a great site for the local residents in the absence of any local newspaper or media outlet.

[Tapout 42]

The RST saga continues...

Apparently there are grants the town of Kent may be entitled to in the amount of $100,000-- oddly the same amount cut out of the town's budget, thereby eliminating the RST program after summer 2009.

Perhaps someone over there should have determined the town's eligibility for this money before the program was cut... OR maybe, just maybe, this was done intentionally to get the town to stop having to pay for the resident trooper in lieu of the FEDS footing the bill? Sounds to "conspiracy theory" for me, but nothing would shock me at this point.

I'll keep you updated, but until then, I met the temporary resident trooper this weekend and he seemed like a good cop and genuinely good guy. He tried to explain the politics of this RST program to me, but even he was confused by it- he feels "it's gotta hit the fan with a spike in crime--and it's gonna-- sooner than later" before anyone truly wishes there was a more permanent and local police presence.