New Haven Independent

It was another one of those days for the downtown cops on the beat — not a day for chasing armed robbers or saving a life. A day for preventing an argument over a necklace repair from turning into something bigger.

Click on the play arrow to watch what happened when the two officers arrived inside Dynasty Jewelers on Chapel Street, near Temple, just before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Kenney and Strickland responded to a call about “someone breaking merchandise” at the store.

It turned out to be more of a loud dispute, fueled by possible cultural or linguistic misunderstanding.

A customer at the store complained that the Korean operators of the store were refusing to fix a broken necklace that she said she’d already paid for.

The folks working at the store said the customer had been hollering and banging on the counter.

Kenney took charge, giving each side a chance to talk.

“I’m not trying to rob them,” the customer said. “They’re trying to rob me.” (She and the folks behind the counter declined to give their names for publication.)

“I understand,” Kenney said.

“I just want it to be fixed. That’s all I said.”

“She didn’t give me anything to explain to her,” said the employee behind the counter. “She just banged.”

The customer claimed that the employee said the store had “already fixed” the necklace.

Kenney turned to the employee.

“You’re going to fix it?” he asked. She nodded. “OK. I’ll take her [the customer] outside.”

“Come on,” he said, turning to the customer. “We’ll walk outside.”

After Kenney and Strickland exited with the customer, the employee complained that the woman regularly comes in and gets worked up. She’s “the kind of person who always break her jewelry because they’re tough,” the employee said.

“That’s a lie,” the customer said, when asked, out on the sidewalk, about what the employee said about her.

But by then the customer was smiling and flirting with the officers. In the end, there was no trouble. No need for an arrest. Just another peaceful afternoon on Chapel Street.

“This is customer service for stores,” Officer Kenney remarked. “One of our many duties.”

For a sense of what other days can be like on the beat for a cop like Kenney, click here and here.