Latest news with #DepartmentofEmergencyServicesandPublicProtection
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mansfield Middle School improving security, upgrading front entrance
MANSFIELD — Improvements to Mansfield Middle School are underway. Current improvements will improve security and upgrade the elevator. Other improvements include the school's air quality systems, front entrance and main offices which got started during spring break. The Town of Mansfield received a School Security Grant for the renovations to the entrance at the middle school to relocate it through the main office. A secure vestibule will be added and it will direct visitors to the office where they will be monitored and registered. 'The security/front entrance project is an important investment for the middle school,' Superintendent Peter Dart said. 'The project, which is supported by the town and a state Homeland Securities grant, will create a new, secured front entrance, updated office space, and a new elevator, ensuring ADA access and a unified entrance point that brings all visitors to the office.' The design involves installing a new entry ramp and stairs going to the main entrance walkway and canopy down into the existing courtyard that is on the same level as the office. The project will have an interior redesign of the main office area in preparation for its new entrance. 'The project started during April break and will continue throughout the spring and summer,' Dart said. 'We are expecting most of the project to be completed by early fall with minimal disruption to students, staff, visitors and programs.' The project also involves a full replacement of the elevator, which was original to the building from 1969. The elevator shaft will be enlarged to accommodate a new fully accessible, modern elevator car and mechanicals. This project was made possible in part through the 2023 Public School Security Competitive Grant Program which is administered by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The total cost of the project is $2,463,610, which includes the grant funding of $795,000 and the town investing $1,668,550 in these improvements. While students and staff were away on spring break in mid-April, the contractor completed some of the more noisy demolition work. The district received a school construction grant through the Department of Administrative Services, which will fund improvements to the Heating-Ventilation-Air Condition (HVAC) systems. The total project cost for this is $2,800,000, with the grant funding of $2,129,960 and the local match by the Town of Mansfield with $670,040. The air conditioning will be installed to service the third-floor classrooms and the gymnasium areas, which are currently lacking this feature. 'We could not undertake this project, along with several other key projects at the middle school, without the generous support of the Town Council and town manager, along with robust state grants that our legislators and Governor provide,' Dart said.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Some crime dropped in 2024; some rose. See numbers officials say makes CT ‘one of the safest' states
Crime in Connecticut dropped in 2024 compared to the previous year, which included a drop in violent crime that encompassed a dip in murders of more than 30%, according to preliminary statistics released on Tuesday. The statistics were part of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection's 'Crime in Connecticut' report, which is now updated quarterly. The preliminary statistics are in line with the National Incident Based Reporting System, which is the national standard for reporting crime. The preliminary stats show a drop in all three categories that are recorded, which include crimes against persons, crimes against property and crimes against society. 'Violent crime, including murder, and property crimes such as motor vehicle theft show substantial declines,' DESPP Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins said in a statement. 'Connecticut is one of the safest among all states, and we will use the detailed data that we collect and analyze to guide our future decision making.' According to the report, crimes against persons — more commonly known as violent crime — dropped by 2.6% in 2024 when compared to the previous year. This category in the last quarter of 2024 was the lowest it has been since the first quarter of 2021. The final three months of last year represented a 5.6% decrease in crimes against persons compared to the same time period in 2023. Crimes against persons includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, kidnapping and abductions, assaults, sex offenses and human trafficking crimes. There were 29,950 crimes against persons reported in 2024. According to the preliminary statistics, murders and non-negligent manslaughters dropped by just over 34% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Aggravated assaults dropped by just over 7% in the same time period, and rapes dipped by a little more than 14%, the statistics show. Instances of criminal sexual contact dropped in 2024 by 18%, while statutory rapes fell by nearly 19%, according to statistics. The only crimes against persons that saw increases in 2024 were kidnappings and abductions, which rose by 2.3%, and simple assaults which saw a sliver of a rise by 0.1%, the statistics show. The report notes that, in the most recent quarter (Q4) of 2024, there were 6,986 crimes against persons, a 5.6% decrease from Q4 2023 and that for all 2024, there were 29,950 crimes against persons reported, 2.6% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. The report also notes it is preliminary because, 'some investigations may still be ongoing and the results of such investigations may affect the data in this report.' Violent crimes typically increase in the warmer months between April and September, though officials noted in the report that this 'was not as apparent' in 2024. Violent crimes accounted for about 24.5% of all crime reported in the state in 2024, the report said. There were 111 murders/ nonnegligent manslaughter and negligent manslaughter cases reported in 2024, the report shows. Crimes against property, which include burglaries, robberies, car thefts, shopliftings, identity theft, fraud and other types of theft, fell last year by 16.9%. The biggest drop recorded in this category was identity theft, which decreased by about 66%, the statistic show. Fraud offenses as a whole fell by 38%, which included a 17.1% decline in hacking and computer invasion offenses. Wire fraud in 2024 increased by 24.7%, according to the preliminary stats. Burglaries and robberies each fell by more than 11%, while car thefts dropped by 19.2%. Shopliftings increased in 2024 by 1.5%, the statistics show. According to state officials, the last quarter of 2024 saw a 17.2% decrease in crimes against property compared to the same time period the previous year and was the lowest it has been since the second quarter of 2021. Property crimes accounted for 67.3% of all crime in the state last year. Crimes against society, which include animal cruelty cases, drug violations, weapon law violations and pornography or obscene material crimes, dropped as a whole by 4.4% in 2024, the preliminary data show. Animal cruelty cases, however, skyrocketed by 36.7%. Drug and narcotic violations also saw an increase, rising by 3.7%. The report notes that, in the most recent quarter of 2024, there were 2,231 crimes against society, which was a 9.5% decrease from Q4 2023, and in all of 2024, there were 10,040 crimes against society reported, which is a 4.4% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. Weapon law violations fell by 17.9%, and obscene material/pornography crimes dropped by 8.8%, the statistics show. Crimes against society dropped 9.5% in the final quarter of 2024 compared to the same time in 2023 and was the lowest it has been since the first quarter of 2021, officials said. Crimes against society accounted for about 8.2% of all crime in Connecticut last year, the report said. 'We will use this data to drive our decision-making, including the guidance we provide to local law enforcement and police chiefs,'' Higgins said. 'Real-time data analysis is a top priority for DESPP so that law enforcement makes the right decisions to keep Connecticut residents safe.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Connecticut lawmakers commemorate International Firefighters' Day
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — State lawmakers will gather at the Capitol to recognize 'International Firefighters' Day,' which fell over the weekend. International Firefighters' Day was this past Sunday. It's a day where people are encouraged to stop and reflect on the sacrifices made by firefighters past & present. Wethersfield community honors and remembers fallen firefighter Robert Sharkevich To honor this day in their way, Comptroller Sean Scanlon, fire chiefs and advocates, legislators, and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Personnel will meet at the capital on Tuesday. To release a new report on the state of firefighting in Connecticut This report features a first-of-its-kind survey of career and volunteer fire departments in the state. News 8 is told it will offer unique insights and recommendations. There were multiple memorials in honor of this over the weekend. In Emmitsburg, Maryland, one tribute honored 70 firefighters who died in the line of duty last year and 70 more who died in previous years. Wethersfield firefighter Robert Sharkevich, senior, was among those recognized for his service and sacrifice to his community. The new report is being discussed at 11 a.m. at the capital. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
