On the agenda: West Hartford Public Safety Committee — Automated License Plate (Nov 10)

West Hartford Public Safety Committee Meeting
This Committee Meeting will be available for live viewing on the WHCi
YouTube Channel. Virtual Meeting
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 8:00 AM
1. Call to Order
A. Call to Order
2. Business Items
A. Approval of Minutes - October 6, 2026
B. Public Safety Update on Opioid and Drug Overdoses
3. Communications
4. Staff Reports
A. Fire Dept. Update
B. Police Department Update November 2026
5. Future Agenda Items
6. Adjournment

Anyone requiring auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or
modification of policies or procedures to participate in a meeting, service,
program, or activity of the Town of West Hartford should contact Yeraida
Reinheimer, at [email protected] or (860) 561-7440, as
soon as possible, preferably seven days beforehand.

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Public Safety Committee
Virtual Meeting Minutes
The committee meeting was aired on the WHCi YouTube
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 8:00 AM
1. Call to Order

This meeting was called to order at 8:01 AM.
Present: Committee members: Councilor Barry Walters, Chair; Councilor Tiffani McGinnis; and
Councilor Gayle Harris. Councilors: Deputy Mayor Deb Polun, Councilor Lisa Lazarus, Councilor
Jason Wang, and Councilor John Lyon. Staff: Town Manager Rick Ledwith; Fire Chief Greg Priest;
Assistant Fire Chief James Silver; Police Chief Vernon Riddick; Police Assistant Chief Larry Terra;
Assistant Chief Robert Riccobon; Assistant Fire Chief Robert Grimaldi; Sgt. Lyth and Sgt. Hopkins,
WHPD.

2. Business Items
A. Approval of Minutes— The minutes of the September 1, 2026, meeting were approved
without objection.
B. An overview of Connecticut’s New E-Bike Regulations was provided to the committee.
C. Chief Riddick provided an update on the Police Department's Automated License Plate
Reader Program Policy.

3. Communications
A. No communications were provided at this time.

4. Staff Reports
A. A Fire Department Update from Chief Priest was provided.
B. A Police Department Update from Chief Riddick was provided.

5. Future Agenda Items
A. No future agenda items were proposed at this time.

6. Adjournment
This meeting adjourned at 9:15 AM.

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POLICE DEPARTMENT

VERNON RIDDICK, JR

OFFICE OF THE POLICE CHIEF

CHIEF OF POLICE

To: Public Safety Committee
From: Chief Vern Riddick
Date: 10/6/2026
Subject: West Hartford Police Department Update
Hiring and Retention:
o 2 vacancies
Pistol Permits:
o October 2025 – 15; October 2026 - 18 (11 men, 7 women) YTD 2026: 189
Notable recent police activities:
o October 2025 - The Town experienced 202 motor vehicle accidents (MVA) and
870 motor vehicle stops. In October 2026, there were 192 MVAs and 572 motor
vehicle stops. From January 1-Octboer 2026 we have had 7,060 motor vehicle
stops, for the same time period in 2025, we recorded 7,806 motor vehicle stops.
o During the month of October 2026, the Emergency Reporting Center received
1,788 “911” calls and 4,323 “routine” calls for service. YTD through October
2026, 95.3% of the “911” calls were handled in less than 10 seconds.
•

Patrol Division
▪

October 14-#26-49824: Plainville PD was investigating a domestic incident in
their jurisdiction and developed a suspect who was believed to reside in West
Hartford. Throughout the night, WHPD personnel were in direct contact with
Plainville PD personnel to share information, formulate a plan, and execute an
operation to take the suspect into custody. There were concerns that a firearm was
present in the home, and as a result the West Hartford Police Department
Emergency Services Unit coordinated with a regional SWAT team to take the
suspect into custody. The operation was successful; due in large part to the
officers working that shift who recognized the need to obtain information, pre-plan
possible outcomes, and solicit assistance from both agencies. Terence Carpenter
was taken into custody by Plainville PD.

▪

October 17-#26-: At approximately 2300 hours, our officer was on routine patrol
when he observed a Buick Encore that was reportedly stolen at gunpoint in New
West Hartford Police Department
103 Raymond Road
West Hartford, Connecticut 06107
Phone (860) 523-5203 Fax (860) 570-8964
www.westhartfordct.gov/police

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POLICE DEPARTMENT

VERNON RIDDICK, JR

OFFICE OF THE POLICE CHIEF

CHIEF OF POLICE

•

▪

(Cont’d) Britain earlier in the day after a FLOCK hit. A query of the
registration confirmed it was listed as stolen. The vehicle was observed
getting onto I-84 East from Park Road. Our officer began following the vehicle
with the flow of traffic, while continuously updating dispatch and other units of his
location. Our officer ultimately initiated a motor vehicle stop in the area of Exit
48B (Capitol Avenue. Hartford), and a felony stop was conducted by multiple
patrol units. Four juvenile occupants were safely removed from the vehicle and
detained. A tan BB gun that closely resembled a Glock 19 firearm was located in
plain view within the vehicle. New Britain PD was notified and responded to
WHPD headquarters to assist with interviews. Our officer was able to obtain a
confession from the two male juveniles, who both admitted to their involvement in
the carjacking earlier. Two juveniles were arrested and charged with Weapon in a
Motor Vehicle and Larceny 1st, they were both issued juvenile summons.

▪

Flock notified units of a vehicle wanted for involvement in regional thefts. The
vehicle was located, covertly surveilled, and the suspect was spotted leaving the
mall. Although he attempted to flee, the suspect was quickly apprehended in
possession of more stolen merchandise. WHPD personnel (Patrol, CSU, Intel, DD)
had been coordinating for weeks to locate and apprehend this suspect. Alfonso
Carmon was charged with Larceny in the 3rd, Interfering/resisting, Operating
Under Suspension, Counterfeit Plate, Unregistered Vehicle. He was issued a
$50,000.00 surety bond.

▪

Officers responded to a report of an unknown male harassing patrons at a business.
Officers arrived on scene and met with the suspect, who was confrontational. He
told officer it was time to fight, and engaged in a physical confrontation with
officers. A taser was utilized to immobilize the suspect and officers took him into
custody. One officer sustained a broken finger during the struggle. Robert Bezt
was arrested and charged with three counts of Assault on Police, Interfering &
Breach of Peace 2nd. He was issued a $100,000.00 surety bond.

Detective Division
▪

Division Updates:
• October 19-22 Two of our detectives attended Connecticut Division of
Criminal Justice’s Sexual Assault Investigation School.
• October 21: Captain Juda and Lieutenant Riley attended the 2026
NABLEO Education and Training Conference in New Haven, CT.

West Hartford Police Department
103 Raymond Road
West Hartford, Connecticut 06107
Phone (860) 523-5203 Fax (860) 570-8964
www.westhartfordct.gov/police

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POLICE DEPARTMENT

VERNON RIDDICK, JR

OFFICE OF THE POLICE CHIEF

CHIEF OF POLICE

▪

October 1-#26-47567: On October 1, West Hartford Police received a
license plate reader hit for a stolen BMW traveling in the area of New
Park Avenue. Two of our detectives were in the area and began checking for the
stolen BMW. Our detectives observed the stolen BMW, accompanied by another
BMW, parked in a business immediately following the LPR alert. Our detective
observed two males walk into the store from the general direction of the stolen
BMW and accompanying vehicle. Both males were detained inside the store
without incident. Located on one of the males was a firearm with a threaded barrel,
effectively making it an assault weapon as defined by Connecticut General
Statutes. The male did not possess a pistol permit and was later found to be a
convicted felon, prohibited from possessing firearms. Both males were found to
have multiple hard copy and PRAWN warrants, stemming from incidents
involving firearms, stolen motor vehicles, fraud, theft and counterfeiting. The
males were also found to be in possession of credit and debit cards believed to be
fraudulent and bearing several different victim names. Romerio Rose was arrested
and charged with firearms related offenses. Obrien Watson was also arrested and
charged with larceny related offenses and additional warrants.

West Hartford Police Department
103 Raymond Road
West Hartford, Connecticut 06107
Phone (860) 523-5203 Fax (860) 570-8964
www.westhartfordct.gov/police

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