Hamden Police: Crime Increase at Hamden, CT Schools and Universities Should be Concerning

Schools in Hamden, Connecticut have seen a large increase in crimes on and off-campus, specifically regarding threats and break-ins. As students and members of the community fear about the implications this could mean for the future, Hamden police and residents including New Haven and East Haven locals have come together to take issues into their own hands.

Students of all ages in Hamden CT have experienced multiple frightening situations in the last few weeks due to increased crime on their campuses. At Hamden Middle and High Schools and Quinnipiac University, that’s also located in the town, school threats, lockdowns, and cancellations have plagued the past few weeks.

Threats at Hamden Public Schools

Hamden local police has been investigating constant school threats. Hamden High School was closed on December 3rd because of anonymous online threats. The school was also closed on the 6th and 7th because of new threats made against the school by two students from the town’s technical high school, Eli Whitney. Eli Whitney Technical High School was also closed on the 6th and 7th due to the same threats. The 14-year old students were both arrested on charges of first-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace.

Break-ins at Quinnipiac University Housing

Hamden public schools are not the only ones who have seen crime increases as of late. Quinnipiac students have also experienced multiple robberies and break-ins in the past month.

Two students living in off-campus housing owned by the university had their houses broken into on November 16th by the same DoorDash driver who was targeting college women. Although the situation ended up being harmless to the students, many found these break-ins to be terrifying, bringing up the question of what the school security and Hamden police are doing to protect off-campus students from the town’s increased crime.

How Local Residents are Responding to Spike in Crime

The Hamden community and neighboring towns, including New Haven, have expressed their fears about the recent crime spike. Many parents find that sending their kids to school in this atmosphere is worrisome, while university students are frightened about the break-ins that so easily happened near their campus.

What the residents and local law enforcement have come up with seems to be helping. They have banded together to keep one another safe. Efforts include small organizations created to patrol local neighborhoods, while others purely work as an update channel, giving crime news to members of the community to stay current and informed.

One such group of the latter is the Hamden Crime Watchers on Facebook. Run by Al Lotto, the group works to update members of the community on crime and other large events that may affect residents. On the network, members can post local updates from authorities and express their thoughts on the recent uptick of crime in the town.

There are other crime prevention groups in Hamden that work with the local police, including the Neighborhood Block Watch Program. Members can make anonymous reports to police about suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. The goal of the program is to create a sense of community where residents can look out for one another.

Hamden Police Working to Improve Public Safety

Responding specifically to the school threats and violence, Hamden police and town officials have taken numerous security measures to keep students safe. To help advise these issues, town police have previously established the Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships (SPCP) program, an initiative to improve public safety by developing stronger relations between the police and community.

To enhance security, SPCP members and other town officials have installed metal detectors at Hamden High School and have added a second resource officer at the school. The Hamden Police Department said that they are working with the Board of Education to implement more technological safety measurements, stating that they are a work in progress which town officials are committed to improving.