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NCPD

Police: Burglaries in New Canaan Up 25% in 2025

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Burglaries in New Canaan are up 25% year-over-year through the first 11 months of 2025, officials say. The rise, from 20 burglaries through November 2024 to 25 in the same time period this year, is prompting the New Canaan Police Department to advise residents “to secure their houses and put on their alarms and lights, and secure their vehicles—especially when people go on vacation,” according to Police Chief John DiFederico. “We are seeing these burglaries continue to trend upward,” DiFederico told members of the Police Commission during their regular meeting, held Wednesday night at NCPD headquarters. “Our investigators are working every single day to try and develop some suspects, and working regionally with other agencies that are seeing the same trends. So we are working hard on that.”

The comments came during a review of monthly statistics. 

Police this past summer warned residents about a new method that burglars used to get inside homes: Using ladders on people’s properties to climb to second-floor entrances. 

Overall, larcenies—including at New Canaan businesses and organizations—are about the same year-over-year, according to the data shared by DiFederico. 

Government

Town To Make Weed-and-Elm a Three-Way Stop

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After years of wrangling about it, town officials decided this week to make the intersection at Elm and Weed Streets a three-way stop. Currently, there’s only a stop sign for motorists on Elm Street, approaching Weed. Police say they’ve received an increasing number in complaints in recent years about motorists ignoring pedestrians trying to get across Weed, including many who are coming to or from Irwin Park. “Obviously there’s a high volume of pedestrian traffic there, to get to Irwin and back from Irwin,” Police Chief John DiFederico said Tuesday night during a regular meeting of the Police Commission, New Canaan’s designated local traffic authority. “Although it’s a real flat road there, if you’re coming south on Weed Street there’s a bit of a crown in the road, and it’s difficult to see the intersection as you approach on Weed Street from the north,” DiFederico said during the meeting, held at police headquarters and via videoconference.

Government

Police: Residential Burglaries Up in New Canaan in August

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New Canaan Police saw a sharp rise in residential burglaries last month, largely among homes left unattended during summer vacation, officials said Wednesday. Five residential burglaries were reported in August, according to data that Police Chief John DiFederico shared during the regular meeting of the Police Commission, held at the agency’s newly renovated headquarters and via videoconference. “The month of August was a tough month for us,” DiFederico said. 

He continued: “We average about one [burglary] a month, but the month of August was five. We had a rash going through grabbing ladders and hitting second-floor windows. This is probably a good wakeup call for residents that when you’re away for the summer months, please have somebody checking on your house regularly.

News

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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Police: Motor Vehicle Violation-Related Stops Up 48% in 2025

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New Canaan Police conducted 695 motor vehicle violation-related stops in the first two months of 2025, officials say—a 48% rise from the same period last year. The dramatic increase is “good to see,” Police Chief John DiFederico said Wednesday night while reviewing the department’s monthly statistics with the Police Commission during its regular meeting. “Our officers are very active out there, stopping cars, which is very good to deter the other criminals coming into town or at least have a chance to identify some of our criminals who are coming through,” DiFederico said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Having high-visibility enforcement is important for us.”
The comments came as New Canaan comes out of a year that saw stolen vehicles more than double—a result of residents leaving keys in unlocked cars. Last month, police detailed the steps that detectives take to make arrests in stolen vehicle cases.