Posted on August 19, 2022
SOUTH WINDSOR- To get a firsthand look at the life of a South Windsor police officer, State Representative Tom Delnicki (R-14th) tour and ride-along with Corporal Kyle LaPorte.
“Riding along with one of our local law enforcement officers gave me a better understanding of what they’re observing and keeping an eye out for while on patrol. I have a greater appreciation of the dangers they face day in and day out and how they’re always looking out for us each day,” said Rep. Delnicki.
Corporal Kyle LaPorte wanted Rep. Delnicki to remind residents to be vigilant and lock your car doors and don’t keep valuable objects in your car. Criminals will not hesitate to smash-in your car window if they see something of value. The Corporal also mentioned that homeowners should close their garages even when they are home. To some criminals an open garage is an invitation to steal something.
Rep. Delnicki and Corporal LaPorte also discussed school safety, school resource officers (SROs) and pedestrian road safety especially with the start of school on August 31st and the return of school buses to South Windsor roads.
Rep. Delnicki has been a strong advocate for law enforcement while serving at the Capitol. In 2020, he opposed an anti-law enforcement bill that ended qualified immunity for police officers, and instead has law enforcement held personally liable for things they might do on the job. The change has made officer recruitment and retention more difficult.
The bill also limited consent searches by law enforcement. In taking away this valuable policing tool to ask consent of a person to search a motor vehicle or their person, diminish the ability of our police to do their jobs in real time.
This year Rep. Delnicki worked to pass a compromise bill to curb juvenile car thefts and another bill which looks to aid law enforcement in combatting the rise in catalytic converter thefts.