In the near future, shoppers at Hamden Plaza will find a new Hamden Police Department substation located alongside DSW, Party City and Panera Bread.
The Legislative Council recently approved the substation, which is expected to open in the upcoming months. The substation will serve as a location for officers to file paperwork, take lunch breaks and file reports. The main goal is to create a place the community can go that will offer something different than the police station at town hall.
“It’s simply a community center that the police department will have access to,” Deputy Chief Billy Onofrio said. “It’s a place for us to engage the community, it’s a place for us to hear from the community, it’s a place for us to open our doors for the community.”
According to the plaza property manager Andrew Bermant, other store owners are requiring the space to be used as a community center, rather than a jail.
“We didn’t want to have a jail on the property and we didn’t want guns on the property,” Bermant said. “Officers obviously carry weapons with them but we didn’t want them storing weapons on the property. Those were requirements by the shopping center … we said ‘no jail and no storage of weapons on the property.’”
Onofrio said the location was chosen because of its high traffic volume, especially after school when children visit the area. Panera Bread is typically a popular spot for students, but the restaurant is experiencing an increase in fights and theft.
Another goal of the substation is to provide a safe place for kids to hang out after school. Local youth leadership groups support the idea of making the substation a place of unity and support for students.
Leonard Jahad, who grew up in Hamden and is currently the Executive Director at the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program, expressed excitement about the substation. At a recent Hamden Strengthening Police & Community Partnerships Council Community listening session, he suggested partnering with the school resource officers.
“People hear about the SROs (student resource officers) at the schools and are like ‘we don’t need police in the schools,’ these people stop the educators from calling the police,” Jahad said. “They do a fantastic job.”
Jahad also expressed concerns about naming the space a “substation,” hoping it can be seen more as a community center rather than a police station. He pointed to the fact New Haven has a version of a substation that isn’t meant to be one.
“My team will go to the plaza at the end of the day to support police and stop kids from fighting,” Jahad said. “Now my team can go down to the building and engage the youth.”
Zakiyyah Hasan, a Hamden resident of 30 years, praised the new substation’s focus on helping the youth.
“Hearing what’s being said is so very, very important, especially when we are talking about our children, our tomorrow, our future,” Hasan said. “Raising my children, you have to be respectful, if you start running your mouth because you see a blue uniform, that’s on you, be respectful.”
But, like all stores, rent will need to be paid to occupy the space. Jacqueline Beirne of Clifford Beers Community Health Partners hopes that donations will cover the costs. This would mean that no money is taken from legislative funding and the police budget.
The location of the new police substation, set to open in the coming months. Photo by: Amanda Morris/HQNN
This also means that the substation will not be open 24 hours, raising some concerns from the community.
“I can’t wrap my head around not staffing 24 hours,” local watch captain Nancy Elliot expressed.
Deputy Chiefs Onofrio and Kevin Samperi stated that the doors to the station, “won’t be open unless someone is there.”
A solution could be the use of office hours, as suggested by Valerie Horsley, a local teacher. This would allow residents to know when the police, social workers or elderly help would be available.
“During a feedback and input forum, Hamden residents opened or closed their statements by saying how happy they were that something was getting done about the crime.
“I’m just totally, 100, excited,” Hasan said. “I am excited because hearing what’s being said is so very, very important.”