I believe that the most vital role of any government is to provide for the security and safety of its constituents. Recently a survey conducted by ValuePenguin ranked East Haven 68th out of 90 cities in terms of safest communities. East Haven was also ranked as the third least safe mid-sized city in the state of Connecticut. The town received an overall crime score of 398, placing it well above the state average of 336 (to determine the score violent crime was weighted at 90 percent and property crime was weighted at 10 percent).

In terms of security, the Foxon area of town is in need of improvement. Residents who call police dispatch to request assistance must go through a network of messages before they can reach a live dispatcher.

Foxon residents are often told dispatch will send an officer over when one becomes available or, in the case of the ATVs that race up and down Route 80 on a routine basis, that the police have been looking for the riders. Furthermore, there have been numerous motor vehicle accidents on Route 80 that, if an officer had been in place and maintaining a higher presence, could have possibly been avoided.

All residents deserve to be safe and secure in their homes. If there can be a police substation on one side of town to help with response times, why, with all the empty buildings in Foxon, can there not be a substation in Foxon to ensure equal security and improve response times?

Robert D. HoffEast Haven