Earlier this month, “06880” wondered why the Westport Library was advising patrons to call the police department if the drop box was full.
Well, they no longer do.
New signs now suggest patrons take a calmer approach:
It reads: “Please use the upper level return when full or during closed hours. Please report problems with this book return to staff.”
Of course, the drop box has always said “When full, please use upper level returns.”
Maybe some library users just don’t read.
The Westport Library’s 2 drop boxes — including this one, still bearing the scars of a 2009 drunken driving attack —
— bear these words:
To report problems with Library book drops after hours contact the Westport police non-emergency number: 203-341-6000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 203-341-6000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
That notice has long been one of Westport’s little mysteries to me.
The other day I asked director Maxine Bleiweis about it.
“It’s a national problem — not just Westport,” she says. “You wouldn’t believe how crazy people get when the drop box is full. They don’t know what to do, or who to call.”
Off the top of my head — just like that! — I thought of 2 ways to handle such a crisis.
Later, I came up with a third response:
This month’s greening of Pasacreta Park shined a spotlight on both the Riverside Avenue hideaway and its namesake, a much-loved police captain who died at age 50.
Many volunteers helped turned the park into a place of beauty; many donors’ dollars helped too. Among the contributors was the Westport Police Benevolent Association. That’s natural — Eugene Pasacreta was one of their own.
It’s natural too that the PBA donated $6,000 for the renovation of Luciano Park. That spot — across from Jasmine Restaurant, adjacent to the railroad station parking lot — is also named for a beloved cop who died too young (former chief Sam Luciano).
But the PBA does much more than hand money to parks named for policemen. In just the past 3 years, the organization has helped fund:
In addition, the PBA:
There’s more. But you get the idea.
The Police Benevolent Association is one of Westport’s most consistent, lowest-profile benefactors. Think of that the next time you get a low-key appeal for funds.
Or they pull you over for yapping on your cell phone.
Comments Off on Police Benevolence
Posted in Police
Tagged Westport police, Westport Police Benevolent Association
The death of Andrew Chapo earlier this month brought back memories of the most tragic July 4th in Westport’s history.
Around 2 a.m. that morning in 1961 Brendan McLaughlin — a former Marine working as a New York advertising executive — shot and killed his father during a family argument.
The murder took place in the McLaughlins’ old Victorian house on Gorham Island — the site today of a 40,000-square foot office building.
McLaughlin fled. An hour before dawn he burst into the police station on Jesup Road. He pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and fired at 2 policemen behind the front desk, wounding Donald Bennette.
Officers chased him into the parking lot, where he shot Chapo. A shootout ensued; McLaughlin was wounded.
Chapo and Bennette recovered. McLaughlin died several weeks later.
The police station lobby was renovated in 1988. Mindful of the July 4th tragedy, greater security measures were installed.
Chapo achieved the rank of lieutenant. While on the force, he helped gain improved pension benefits for police officers.
A memorial service for Chapo is set for July 10 (United Methodist Church, 2 p.m.) — almost 48 years to the day after his awful Independence Day.
(Thanks to Woody Klein’s Westport, Connecticut history for some of the information in this post.)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)