Acceding to a grassroots push to install cameras at Waveny as per a police recommendation, the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted 3-0 to solicit proposals for updating security systems in New Canaan.
Responses to a RFP likely would come back in December or January, officials said, giving the town an idea of costs as New Canaan sets its spending plan for next fiscal year.
The local mom and attorney behind an online petition this summer that kickstarted the town’s efforts, Hilary Ormond, said during an interview after the Board meeting that she was “cautiously optimistic” about the progress.
“I want to see this through,” said Ormond, who attended the meeting at Town Hall as a guest. “I want to see it actually happen. I hope it stays in the budget. I am glad to see that it seems to be moving forward. I’m glad to see a comprehensive plan. I’d like to see the cameras installed, at least at Waveny, sooner rather than later, but I will take what I can get and I think it’s a good day for our town.”
After going into executive session to discuss the security specifics, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said during the resumed public meeting that the town has consulted with Bridgeport-based technology consulting firm D’Agostino & Associates in planning to upgrade security at municipal buildings, parks and other properties. In an interview after the meeting, he said New Canaan would use connected “smart” security cameras at Waveny’s entrances.
“The one thing we learned about, working with the security consultants, is that cameras without connection to police are meaningless,” he said.
The petition to install security cameras at Waveny followed the disappearance of New Canaan mom Jennifer Dulos and discovery of her SUV at the park’s edge on Lapham Road. Investigators would later find evidence that her estranged husband had driven down from the Hartford area on the morning she disappeared and parked a truck about 100 feet away from where the SUV was later found.
In calling for the cameras, Ormond cited that investigation and an earlier incident where a young man accosted a teenage girl on Waveny’s trails, and the police chief made reference to a similar and successful program in the New Canaan YMCA parking lot, said a modest installation would help deter and identify criminals. The “vast majority” of police incidents in town parks occur in Waveny, the chief later reported.
Yet the idea of installing cameras at Waveny’s entrances did not garner universal support. Some said it was unnecessary and inaccurately painted Waveny as dangerous. Selectman Nick Williams said safety concerns regarding the park had been “politicized” and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan halted the Parks & Recreation Commission’s efforts to put together a formal proposal, saying the matter properly belonged with the Police Commission—causing some frustration. Moynihan ultimately recast Ormond’s recommendation as part of a town-wide security upgrade that included Waveny.
Williams said again during this week’s meeting that “we have an incredibly safe town.”
“I think a lot of this discussion stems from—I think we should remember, a family tragedy—but unfortunately New Canaan and specifically, Waveny Park, have become collateral damage, in a much lesser way,” he said.
Selectman Kit Devereaux said, “I think anything that we can do to prohibit future crime is great.”