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Arrest Warrant: Noise Dispute Leads to Breach of Peace Charge for Local Woman, 71

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Police last week arrested a 71-year-old New Canaan woman by warrant following a long-running noise dispute with a neighbor at their Locust Avenue apartment building. 

Both women came to New Canaan Police headquarters on March 10 (a Monday) after the dispute boiled over, according to an arrest warrant application obtained by NewCanaanite.com. The woman who would be arrested lives on the first floor of their building, the other woman on the second floor. 

At about 3:30 p.m. that day, the downstairs woman spotted her neighbor on the street “and confronted her” about noise in the building, according to the arrest warrant application, completed by Officer Michael Schnell and signed by a state prosecutor and Superior Court judge. She told police that she’d made five complaints in the past about her upstairs neighbor, the police affidavit said. Regarding the run-in on the street, the downstairs woman told police that “no verbal or physical threats were made during the encounter,” the affidavit said. The upstairs woman told police that she’d been walking her dog near the intersection of Locust Avenue at Forest Street when the other “confronted her unprompted and told her to ‘stop banging the pipes,’ ” the application said.

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DUI Charge After Vehicle Strikes New Canaan Fire Truck

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Police on April 11 arrested a 40-year-old Stamford woman and charged her with driving under the influence. At about 9:49 p.m. that Friday, officers responded to the intersection of Jelliff Mill and Old Stamford Roads on a report of a vehicle that struck a New Canaan Fire Department truck and fled the scene, police said. Through an investigation, police found the vehicle parked with heavy front-end damage at Jelliff Mill and Shady Knoll Lane, according to a police report. The woman was the only occupant of the vehicle and, in speaking with her, the investigating officer smelled alcohol on her breath and found other signs of impairment, the report said. After administering field sobriety tests, police charged her with the misdemeanor offense, it said.

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Police: Motor Vehicle Stops Up 33% in 2025

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New Canaan Police stops for motor vehicle violations are up 33% through the first quarter of 2025, officials say. The rise, up from 667 through the first three months of 2024 to 989 this year, reflects the department’s focus on public safety and police presence as a deterrent, according to Chief John DiFederico. “We’re seeing a nice bump in some of our high visibility enforcement which is helpful to curb other crimes,” DiFederico told members of the Police Commission at their regular meeting, held Wednesday night at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

He continued: “It’s good to see officers out there conducting some traffic enforcement to slow people down, make them a little bit more conscious of pedestrians and bicyclists that are gonna get out there in the warmer weathers. That’s good to see.”

The comments came during an update to the Commission on monthly statistics within the New Canaan Police Department. 

Officers appear to be using radar to conduct more stops, as well. According to the data shared by DiFederico, radar stops are up to 167 through the first three months of 2025, compared to 61 in the same period last year.

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Disorderly Charge for New Canaan Man, 52

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Police last week arrested a 52-year-old New Canaan man and charged him with disorderly conduct. 

At about 10:03 p.m. on April 8, officers responded to a Hickok Road home on a report of a dispute between the man and victim, police said. Through an investigation, authorities established probable cause for the misdemeanor charge, according to a police report. The man was released on a promise to appear the following day in state Superior Court. Police withheld details, saying it’s a domestic matter. Under state law, people are guilty of disorderly conduct if they “with intent to cause inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk … [e]ngages in … threatening behavior; or … annoys or interferes with another person,” among other reasons.

Erica Morey

‘Helping the Members of This Community’: Letters of Appreciation for NCPD

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The following letters of appreciation for New Canaan Police Department officers were presented to the Police Commission by Chief John DiFederico at the appointed body’s Oct. 19 meeting. ***

Officer Joseph Schinella

“Chief,

“I wanted to inform you of the hard work and professionalism that have been demonstrated by Officer [Joseph] Schinella. Officer Schinella has performed multiple roles with NCPD, including: SRT, Motorcycle Unit, FTO, Dispatcher. He has proven himself time and time again that he is a dedicated member of this agency.