YIR: Top Police Stories of the Year

Hit-and-Run Death

Near the end of November, a young Brookfield man, Western Connecticut State University (WestConn) student Dong Lin, in Danbury and died a short time later due to his wounds. The driver, later discovered to be a fifth-year senior at the university, fled the scene of the accident and .

Danbury police have yet to issue an arrest in the incident but officials say one is pending. Meanwhile, .

Echo Bay Suicide

A New Jersey woman, 26-year-old Celeste Tonia, was off the shore of on a Tuesday morning in April. by the state medical examiner and she had posted a short message on her Facebook wall the day before: “No excuses, just a simple goodbye.”

Webster Bank Robbery

A man robbed the near Four Corners in June, . were in the search for a suspect, however it was , on separate robbery charges.

DEA on North Lake Shore Drive

North Lake Shore Drive residents observed a in what turned out to be a small portion of a larger specializing in performance steroids. The North Lake Shore Drive resident, as part of the drug ring and was arrested in connection with the case.

Fatal Accident

One late evening in early August, police responded to reports of a single car accident on Whisconier Road, just south of the . When police arrived, . According to police after the investigation, and was likely dead before the accident occurred.

Lock Your Doors

Brookfield police are warning residents about the need to secure their homes when they are away and lock their vehicles overnight. Police told Brookfield Patch that in which local youth are breaking into unlocked cars and homes looking for small, expensive items to pawn. The thieves are looking for quick and easy, however, so police are asking residents to lock up and avoid being a target.

People often say to police, “’But this is Brookfield,’” officer Michael Zezza said, but, “Those days are over,” a sentiment echoed in a about not being able to “leave a door open for children to come home to.”

Former Dispatcher Pleas

After a prolonged series of continuances, former police dispatcher for embezzling over $17,000 while presiding as president of the union serving dispatchers, groundskeepers and clerical workers. Fisher missed a subsequent court date and with a court-set bond of full restitution for the union. in November and paid the cash bond in full.

Graffiti: Hearts and Bridges

this winter and seemed to multiply through the spring. Though the inherent message behind the hearts was something many could appreciate, the choice of canvas was cause for concern for officials.

One canvas, on the other hand, has been encouraged: the Graffiti Bridge at the intersection of Junction Road and Stony Hill Road, where locals trumpet good news and important causes and remember lost friends and town icons.

January Storm

Over the course of 24 hours starting late on the night of January 11, . The emergency responders, the majority of them volunteers, went above and beyond to save lives and ensure the safety of town residents — and everyone made it through the storm safely.

31^st Officer

The Brookfield Police Department welcomed the with the force’s newest member, Mitchell Heller. The 23-year-old Heller spent most of the year at the police academy and working through the Brookfield police training program, but he will be going on patrols in 2012.