Caitlin Emma Photo
Acosta & Feliciano slip between houses to monitor drug activity.
Officer Dave Acosta crouched by the window and peered through the blinds at the house across the street.
“Shh, shh…there’s a car pulling up,” he whispered.
Acosta and Officer Martin Feliciano stayed quiet as they watched, waiting to see if the car had stopped for drugs. It turned out to be nothing. But sometimes watching and waiting is part of the job. And later that night, watching and waiting would produce results.
The two officers were inside a vacant home in Fair Haven. They made the stop during their walking beat, keeping tabs on a house suspected of drug activity.
The pair is one of 10 officer duos that have begun walking neighborhoods throughout town on a permanent daily basis as part of an effort to revive community policing. The mayor’s new proposed city budget calls for doubling the number of walking beats.
Recent visits with other new walking beats showed how the cops build valuable relationships on foot. On the Fair Haven beat Friday night, the walking shift showed how the beat can add to combating the drug trade.
“Sometimes it’s all about intelligence gathering,” said Acosta, still looking through the window.
Acosta and Feliciano pride themselves on keeping an active walking beat. Maybe, a little too active. Feliciano said: Acosta walks way too fast.
“I mean, we’ve got eight hours of this!” Feliciano said.
“I’m sorry, I just get excited!” Acosta said.
The two officers gather intelligence while keeping tabs on other problem areas, like the McDonald’s on Ferry Street. Some customers go there for more than a Happy Meal, they said. The area is a hot spot for heroin, and it’s important to track who has been in there longer than standard mealtime. The department’s street interdiction unit has made recent drug arrests there.
“We see the people in there now, and we’ll probably come back in two hours to check again,” Acosta said.
As the officers continued walking down Ferry Street, Feliciano explained how the McDonald’s is sort of hidden in plain sight. It’s easy to notice people coming and going from a certain house — less so when it’s a spot known for a quick meal.
While walking, the officers noticed a small silver Honda idling by the curb at Ferry and Wolcott. The scent of marijuana wafted faintly from the car; the three guys inside scrambled when they saw Acosta and Feliciano. The officers tapped on their window and asked to see a driver’s license and registration.
Paging Ashton Kutcher
When asked, one of the guys admitted they were smoking marijuana. Acosta and Feliciano asked them to step out of the vehicle for a quick pat down. After searching them, the officers handcuffed each one and had them sit on the curb while they filled out paperwork. Despite the handcuffs, the mood stayed light . The guys on the curb were cooperative.
“Are we being ‘punkd?’” one of the guys asked, referring to the prank show on MTV hosted by Ashton Kutcher.
“Come on out, Ashton!” another guy yelled.
The officers had to run a drug analysis kit. When the test turns purple, it means weed. The test took a long time before it finally turned purple. That means the marijuana wasn’t that potent, Acosta said.
“That weed you got, man — ” Feliciano yelled over to one of the guys in cuffs.
“It was only $5!” the guy said with a laugh.
“I can tell!” Feliciano responded. He laughed, too.
The three guys got off with a ticket for possessing under a half-ounce of marijuana. They weren’t driving, but the keys were in the ignition. The officers gave the guys a break because they were so cooperative, Acosta said.
The three guys didn’t leave angry, either.
“Let’s get a group photo!” one guy yelled. “Hey I be seeing y’all on my block every day!”
After a tour around the neighborhood, the officers ended up at the McDonald’s again. Feliciano received information that a blue Chevy Trailblazer, potentially carrying up to two ounces of cocaine, might stop by soon.
Waiting On A Chevy
Acosta and Feliciano stopped into J & C Travel Express, an Ecuadorian convenience store. They chatted with the employees in Spanish while watching for the truck. When it never came, they decided to attend to other business and wait for the call.
When the call about the blue Trailblazer finally came later that night, the officers jumped on it. A police car swung by to pick them up and sped over to Fireside Bar and Grill at Townsend and Forbes avenues. Four police cars parked next to the restaurant; a group of officers searched the Trailblazer. Rather than finding two ounces of coke, they found only about $40 worth — plus an ecstasy pill, an oxycodone and a few Valium-like sedatives.
Acosta and Feliciano often deal with drugs on their walking beat, averaging a drug bust almost every night, they said. They enjoy staying busy. The job can be physically demanding. The officers, both 30 years old, more than keep up with the fast pace.
Acosta ate broccoli and chicken at the substation for dinner, explaining that he has been on the “Paleo” or “caveman diet” for a few years now — protein, vegetables, some fruits, nuts and seeds. No processed foods or sugar. He allows himself “cheat days” on his days off, he said. Otherwise, he works out three days a week and practices jujitsu three days a week.
Feliciano is a little more relaxed with his diet, although he’s just as quick on the beat. He laughed about being a cop stereotype when he pulled a donut from his locker for dinner.
“It’s dessert!” he said. “I’m having pizza later.” Meanwhile, there was more pavement to pound.
Feliciano & Acosta check a house where a teen has an outstanding warrant.
Related stories:
• Dear Abby — Er, Officer Mark (The Hill)
• Walking Cops Check In On The Champ (Dixwell)
• The People Talk, The Cops Walk
• Wynne & Benedetto Start Walking The Beat (Downtown)
walking beat what's that??? Can we get one? Dealing is getting really heavy over here! It got quite for a few weeks but this weekend it kicked back into gear. hmmm esserman did you forget Cedar Hill...how many pounds did the FBI take out..can't say we don't need them!