NEW HAVEN -- Neighbors in the Westville section of town claim there's been a spike in crime and are calling on city leaders to do something about it.
That call is bucking statistics which show crime is actually down in the city, but neighbors claim their little piece of the Elm City has played host to a number of acts.
"I don't want my bikes stolen out of my garage, I don't want my house broken into," says Laura Cahn, Captain of the Westville Blockwatch program. "I don't want to live in fear all the time and I'm concerned about my neighbors."
New Haven Alderman Darryl Brackeen Jr. acknowledges the drop in the city's crime rate but says a NHPD satellite station is needed. He is proposing building one at the Davis Street Magnet School. "We know that city-wide, crime statistics have been going down but we realized that there are lives around these numbers," He said Monday evening. "There are thefts of auto, burglaries, recent home invasions. Shootings. You name it, those things have been happening."
Brackeen, whose district includes Westville, says a number of his constituents have complained and have even signed a petition which, he says, is 100+ strong.
A proposal has been sent to the Common Council for consideration and there is no time frame on when, or if, the city will act on this request.