Let There Be Blue Light

Fair Haven’s cops and neighbors are dialing up a formula for hope-for crime deterrence, quicker police response time, and maybe even economic development: the installation of ​“blue light” emergency response phones at well-trafficked public spaces with a direct line to 911.

New Fair Haven top cop Lt. David Zannelli. informed neighbors about plans for purchasing and installing such phones at the neighborhood’s community management team meeting.

In a wide-ranging discussion of generally reduced crime on Fair Haven’s streets, Zannelli said he is committed to taking policing in the area ​“to the next generation” by ​“changing [some] strategies and environments.”

One of those strategies is following up on the initiative of a predecessor, Sgt. Anthony Maio, who with the management team and the Chatham Square Neighborhood Association first floated the idea of purchasing ​“blue light” phones.

The phones and their housing aren’t necessarily blue, but they usually have a blue light — the color associated with the police — on top to be easily visible at night. Unlike calls from a cell phones, calls from blue phones go directly to a 911 dispatcher in a manner that the police know instantly where the call is coming from. 

Last year the management team voted to dedicate $5,000 of its annual Livable City Initiative (LCI) $10,000 neighborhood grant for this purpose.

The police department found an additional $5,000. Now Asst. Chief Racheal Cain is researching the best device for the best price.

The Yale police department has blue phones dispersed widely on and near the campus.

“If Yale can have them and they are successful, why can’t the residents of Fair Haven? If we can get Fair Haven to resemble Downtown and Yale in terms of lighting, then we’re in the right direction. They deserve it,” he added.

Apart from the Yale police department’s network, there are only two at present at other city locations: one right by the downtown police substation at 900 Chapel and a funky contraption not even marked as owned by the police department stuck to a wooden pole at Kimberly and Lamberton streets in the Hill.

Asst. Chief Goes Shopping

“The final cost of the unit will depend on the features we select,” Cain reported. ​“For instance, some systems are stand alone, which means they are mounted on a pedestal vs attached to an existing telephone pole. Obviously the pedestal version is more expensive. We can also purchase a system with or without video capability. Again, video would be an additional cost. We are currently pricing various units.”

At the management team meeting last week, Zannelli said he has determined the best locations to deploy three of the phones: At Grand and Blatchley, at Chapel and Ferry, and near Chatham Square Park.

Those sites are where the cops get the most calls, Cain noted. ​“These areas have been plagued with complaints of assaults, robberies and other quality of life issues.”

On a tour of one of the locations on he’s proposed, Chatham Square Park, Zannelli said the specific siting for the blue light there would depend on the fiber optic situation underground. His sense is that it should go more toward Lombard Street with all its traffic and Clinton where it would be noticed by passers-by on foot or even in car. ​“The pole itself is a deterrent, and residents will learn where it is,” he said.

“If I can get five,” he said, with a wishful look in his eye, he’d place the additional one more at Ferry and Lombard and another at Grand and Ferry.

Zannelli was full of praise for his chiefs for supporting the plan. He said it fits in with his strategy of encouraging his officers to alter environments to make them them less conducive to crime.

If all goes well, there are plans to purchase and install blue light devices in other districts beyond Fair Haven, Cain reported.

However, for Fair Haven the phones are coming for sure. Whether it’s three or more, they should be installed by year’s end, Cain added.