There have been questions and concerns circulating throughout our communities regarding the future services and capacities of the Connecticut State Police, Troop K in Colchester. The letter below addresses those concerns and thoroughly explains any changes that have been made:
Dear Citizens,
Major Michael B. Darcy, Eastern District Commanding Officer, and Lieutenant Eric Murray, Troop K Commanding Officer, would like the citizens of Troop K's area - Andover, Bolton, Bozrah, Colchester, Columbia, East Haddam, East Hampton, Franklin, Hebron, Lebanon, Marlborough, Portland, Willimantic, and Windham - to know that effective Monday, October 28, 2013, the dispatch communications function of Troop K will be moving to the Eastern District Consolidated Dispatch Center, located at Troop C in Tolland. This dispatch consolidation coincidentally coincides with a new phone number exchange that will also take place.
Effective October 28, 2013, the new number for Troop K (for routine calls) will be 860-465-5400. For emergencies, citizens should continue to dial 911.
This is simply a transfer of communications function and the Troop K barracks, 15 Old Hartford Road, Colchester will continue to be a fully staffed, fully functioning State Police Troop providing 24 hour police coverage to the citizens of our area and assistance to our law enforcement partners with the East Hampton, Portland, and Willimantic Police Departments.
Some important facts to bear in mind:
• Troop K is not closing and there are no plans to close Troop K
• Troop K will continue to be a stand-alone, fully functioning State Police Barracks, one of 11 staffed by the Connecticut State Police.
• Troop K on and after October 28, 2013 will continue to be staffed with the same compliment of troopers, detectives, resident troopers, and sergeants that are assigned there today and will remain under the command of Lt Eric Murray and Executive Officer Master Sergeant Robert Grega.
• Troop K personnel described in the preceding paragraph will continue to report to Troop K and will continue to be responsible for police services in Troop K's area on and after October 28, 2013.
• Roll calls for Troop K personnel will continue to occur at the Troop K barracks as they have occurred there for approximately 70 years.
• Persons arrested by Troop K personnel will continue to be brought to the Troop K barracks, but if not released in a reasonable amount of time, could be transferred to Troop C or to a State Correctional Facility.
• Routine phone calls for State Police services in any of the Troop K towns listed above should be made by calling the main line 860-465-5400 - these calls will simply be answered by State Police Dispatchers located at the new consolidated dispatch center at Troop C and many of these dispatchers will be those that worked out of Troop K prior to October 28, 2013.
• 911 calls made from any of the Troop K towns listed above requiring State Police services will be routed to the consolidated dispatch center at Troop C and Troop K personnel will be assigned to respond.
• The new State Police phone number for Troop K is 860-465-5400. The old number (860-537-7500) will be redirected to the new one.
• It is expected that, in most instances, there will be at least one State Trooper inside the Troop K barracks at all times engaged in an administrative aspect of his/her job. Occasionally, all State Troopers on duty at Troop K might be out on patrol and out of the barracks. In either case, citizens who physically go to Troop K for State Police services should use the emergency phone located outside the barracks to alert the trooper(s) inside that they need assistance or, in cases when all of the troopers are out of the barracks, to have a State Trooper on patrol return to Troop K to meet with the citizen. The emergency phone will ring at the consolidated dispatch center at Troop C and the dispatchers there will alert the troopers inside Troop K or on patrol near Troop K of the citizen needing their services at the actual barracks. It is expected that when there is not a State Trooper inside Troop K, one will arrive there within minutes of a citizen who is at Troop K using the emergency phone to ask for assistance.
• The State Trooper who, prior to October 28, 2013, would have been assigned as the desk officer at Troop K and unable to physically leave his/her post, will now be able to respond to calls in the general Troop K area, increasing State Police coverage in the community and on area roadways, while still being available to respond back to the barracks to meet with citizens who go to Troop K looking for assistance.
• At no time will citizens from Troop K's area be required or expected to physically report to Troop C for their State Police needs (i.e. to be interviewed about a crime, to file a complaint, to view or recover stolen property).
Again, it is important to understand that Troop K is not closing and there are no plans to close Troop K. The men and women of Troop K, past and present, are proud of the services they have provided to citizens of the towns within the patrol area for the past 110 years. What is occurring on October 28, 2013 is simply transference of dispatch function, which is likely to be unnoticed by the general public.
- Major Michael B. Darcy, Eastern District Commanding Officer
- Lieutenant Eric Murray, Troop K Commanding Officer
- Master Sergeant Robert Grega, Executive Officer
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| The Radio Communications Tower at Troop K in Colchester. |
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