Safe City Commission Recommendations Approved

Despite initial confusion over what had been recommended by the Public Safety Committee, the City Council approved 10 proposed initiatives by an anti-violence group as well as $74,000 in one-time finding to support some of them on Monday evening.

The vote accepted the proposals of the Safe City Commission, an organization of several community members which met between January and April to discuss how to improve youth opportunities and reduce violence in New London. The City Council for further review, and it recently :

• The establishment of an enforceable, flexible curfew pending legal review.
• The establishment of a youth intervention center to provide a safe place for teens picked up by police during the evening.
• A police-community engagement effort to improve youth perception of police officers.
• An examination of the zero tolerance policy in the to see if it is acting as a detriment for youth development.
• An effort to improve the perception of the city, such as hiring a part-time intern for communication between the city and residents as well as an Out of School Time director at a cost of $15,000, potentially working under New , as a liaison between youth organizations and the city government.
• Establishing surveillance cameras and lighting in high crime areas.
• Working with SEAT to modify bus routes to accommodate youth and offering free or reduced fares for youth with identification.
• Supporting successful youth programs, with $25,000 in municipal support for New London Youth Affairs, Writers Block Ink, Camp Rotary, and new programming; putting aside an additional $10,000 for “safe walk ambassadors,” or nighttime crossing guards, to serve as a crime deterrent.
• Appropriating $24,000 to provide job training for 20 at-risk students.
• Cooperation with the Boys and Girls Club.

At the City Council meeting, Councilor Adam Sprecace said the proposal on the evening’s agenda was not the same as what was put to the council by the Public Safety Committee. The committee recommendation was that the council accept the proposals and approve the requested $74,000 in one-time funds rather an an annual appropriation. The council’s agenda proposed approval of the money to fund the initiatives, but did not set a limit or express support for the initiatives themselves.

Sprecace said he had suggested one-time funding in the committee so that a “special line item [would] by made within the budget, to track it.” Michael Buscetto III, who chaired both the Safe City Commission and the Public Safety Committee, said he did not think the difference in language was enough to cause concern.

“The only difference is one or two words,” he said. “I did miss a word, but I was going with the Safe City initiatives, the appropriations. It’s pretty much the same concept.”

Councilor Rob Pero said he wasn’t opposed to appropriating the $74,000, but wanted to make sure that the evote would “separate the money from what the policy is.” Sprecace said several of the recommendations are in the early stages, noting that a curfew proposal would have to go before the Policy Committee and City Council and have input from the and city’s legal counsel.

The vote was taken after the language of the agenda item was changed to reflect the Public Safety Committee recommendation to the City Council.