The West Hartford Police Department will be providing extra patrols throughout the holiday season to enforce DUI and other driving violations, and have also offered tips to prevent package theft.

By Ronni Newton

The holidays are a time for celebrating and gift-giving, and West Hartford Police are taking measures to ensure that the joy of the season is not marred by unfortunate incidents.

“We do find that the holidays present more opportunities to drink, and we urge you to be responsible,” Lt. Michael Perruccio of the West Hartford Police Department said Monday.

Although DUI checkpoints are not planned, Perruccio said that extra patrols – marked and unmarked – will be assigned to areas near restaurants, and police will be looking for people who are driving erratically or otherwise not following the rules of the road and appear to possibly be intoxicated.

Patrols will also focus on shopping areas, which are busier during the holiday season. “Sometimes people get frustrated, get a little upset with each other,” Perruccio said. “Please be patient, and be safe.”

Enforcement details will be on the lookout for aggressive drivers, and will be actively enforcing distracted driving and seatbelt laws. Patrols will also focus on speeding and traffic control violations, and will use marked as well as unmarked vehicles for the special details.

Police are also offering tips to prevent package theft – which plagued West Hartford and many surrounding towns during last year’s holiday season. “We haven’t had a large number yet,” Perruccio said. “But we want to keep on top of it and prevent it as much as possible.”

Tips include:

• Leave delivery instructions with parcel delivery services to keep the packages out of sight – on a side or back porch or between doors if possible.
• Take in deliveries as soon as they arrive. Ask the parcel service to ring your doorbell upon delivery.
• Track packages and insure them.
• If you do not think you will be home to take delivery, have packages delivered to your work or to a neighbor or friend who is home.
• Pick packages up from your local Post Office or UPS center, or a private mail service such as Mailboxes Etc.
• Have Amazon purchases delivered to an Amazon Locker. In West Hartford, there is a locker in the lobby of 65 Memorial Rd.
• Use home security features such as motion sensors, cameras, and adequate lighting.

West Hartford Police urge residents to be on the lookout for vehicles that seem to be following delivery trucks or non-uniformed people handling packages in the neighborhood. Don’t ever hesitate to call 860-523-5203 to report any suspicious activity, police said.

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