Police Announce New Community Impact Unit In Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT — The Wallingford Police Department announced this week the creation of a new Community Impact Unit, which is designed and staffed to deal with specific issues community-wide.

“The Community Impact Unit will deliver high-level problem resolution to a wide variety of community related issues that need immediate and direct impact to resolve the issue,” officials wrote in a news release. “While some issues may linger for some time after initial response, the Community Impact Unit will ensure that the issue is resolved to the satisfaction of both the affected community member and the police department.”

The potential work associated with the new unit includes: walk-and-talk meetings with businesses, clergy and residents, blight, unregistered cars and public and private property, continuing noise complaints, narcotics, quality of life issues, parking enforcement, and thefts from vehicles.

“The police department is excited to offer this new level of service to our community,” Chief William Wright said in a statement. “We see the need for a unit that can respond directly to issues that pertain to improving the quality of life in our community. We believe that a partnership between all of the stakeholders will result in a successful resolution to the issue. We remain committed to delivering the highest level of service possible and this unit is another example of our resolve to do so.”

The “high-energy unit” will work in both uniform and plain-clothes to accomplish the tasks that each issue presents.

“The scope of this unit shall ultimately free up time that the uniformed patrol division has to spend on these matters, thereby allowing the patrol officer to tend to other duties within their patrol zone that require their attention,” the news release states. “Officers assigned to this unit shall expect to work varying hours and interact with other town departments that can assist with problem resolution. Staffing of the unit is expected to occur in the near future.”