Kiner Calls For Restoration of Prison Patrols

Concern about the safety of corrections officers and the public has prompted State Rep. David Kiner of Enfield to make an appeal to Corrections Commissioner Leo Arnone.

Kiner told Enfield Patch Thursday that he had just learned armed perimeter patrols at the five prisons in Enfield and Somers had been reduced from six units to just one. He said several corrections officers had reached out to him with their concerns.

An armed patrol typically drives a 40-minute loop around the roads surrounding Enfield Correctional Institution, Osborn Correctional Institution, Northern Correctional Institution, Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution and Carl Robinson Correctional Institution, according to Kiner.

“A potential 40-minute gap between patrols dramatically decreases the safety of the public – putting the community and correction officers in harm’s way,” Kiner said.

His letter to Arnone reads, in part: "I find it unacceptable to jeopardize the safety of nearby residents and corrections officers working inside the walls. Nothing short of restoring the full strength of the perimeter patrol force in these correctional institutions immediately would be acceptable."

Rep. Kiner's full letter to Commissioner Arnone accompanies this story in PDF form.