BRANFORD POLICE DEPT. PRESS RELEASE: Mrs. Rose Mason of Guilford recently attended the April 11 Police Commission meeting on behalf of her family and presented the department with a $1,500 donation to strengthen the department's Seatbelt Awareness and Enforcement Program.

Mrs. Mason explained that her daughter, Kelley Mason, died in a single car accident on I-95 in Branford in 2009 when she was 23 years old. Although no exact cause has ever been determined for the accident, the family does know that Kelley wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from her vehicle during the accident.

Since Kelley's death, the Mason Family has raised over $80,000 from a number of fundraising events at Anthony's Ocean View in New Haven.  The proceeds from these fundraisers have predominately been donated to the Guilford Police Department to increase education and enforcement of Connecticut's mandatory seatbelt laws.

Mrs. Mason said that their family's decision to make the donation to Branford was in part, based on the fact that Branford First Responders provided medical care to Kelley the night of her accident, and the Police Department's effort to provide information to their family concerning the original E-911 call for assistance.

Chief Kevin Halloran said, "We are humbled by the Mason's gracious donation to strengthen Seatbelt Awareness on the heels of such a tragic loss to their family. Our Agency accepts this donation in Kelley's honor."