01/04/09 Greenwich Time News Links For Sunday

On average, Lt. Richard Cochran says the Greenwich Police Department sees roughly 200 domestic incidents a year, with the majority involving some type of physical violence.

Domestic violence focus of new unit
Following a year in which many families were saddled with economic stress, the Greenwich Police Department has formed a new unit aiming to combat the high number of domestic violence incidents that occur each year and to provide assistance to victims, officials said.

Lt. Richard Cochran, who has served as the domestic violence liaison officer for the department since 2004, proposed the domestic violence unit last year in hopes that more manpower could be directed towards handling the second most investigated crime in Greenwich. While the problem has always been prevalent in town and nationwide, Cochran said this year had a noticeable jump in incidents.

"The economy I see as the biggest issue," said Cochran. "There are a lot of stressors. People are getting laid off and you try not to bring them home but it happens."

In the final days of 2008, Cochran said he had recorded 187 domestic violence arrests during the year. That means there were at least 187 victims that he is responsible for following up with after an incident occurs.

"It's important we offer them some guidance," said Cochran of the hundreds of victims he spends his days reaching out to.

"For years it was just me, and I do my best to contact victims every day," said Cochran. "But what was lacking was home visits."

Cochran said he is in the process of choosing officers who will be assigned to make follow-up visits to recent domestic violence victims to obtain more in-depth interviews and to photograph injuries that sometimes take a few days to show up, such as bruising. Officers will also help to ensure the victim is safe by enforcing protective orders, Cochran said.

Police Chief David Ridberg said he felt the unit was a much-needed addition since Cochran was handling a large workload alone.....

Sci-fi garbage cans arrive at Greenwich Point
Greenwich Point now has three garbage cans that sense when they are full and then compact trash to make room for more.

Although this sounds like science fiction, they are real, and are called Big Belly solar-powered trash cans.

Each has an electronic eye that indicates the receptacle has reached its target level, and the solar-powered compactor, which is run on a battery, turns on, compacting the trash to 20 percent of its normal size.

"It's really a great thing," said Amy Burke, publicity chairperson for the Friends of Greenwich Point, "It is completely self-reliant when it's full."

Once the garbage can has reached its capacity, a red light turns on so the maintenance crew knows to take the bag out and put in a new one, she said.

Greenwich Time quiz

Think you're an avid reader of Greenwich Time? Put your knowledge to the test in the 2008 Year in Review pop quiz:

1) The makeshift Wiffle ball field in Riverside that sparked a national controversy last summer was modeled after which of the following?
A) Yankee Stadium
B) Wrigley Field
C) Fenway Park

2) Name of the members of Greenwich's 2009 General Assembly delegation.
A) Jim Lash, Peter Tesei, Lin Lavery and Peter Crumbine
B) Livvy Floren, Lile Gibbons, Alfred Camillo and L. Scott Frantz
C) Livvy Floren, Lile Gibbons, Claudia "Dolly" Powers and William Nickerson

3) Alan Golder is better known by the following moniker:
A) "The Dinnertime Bandit"
B) "The Man with the Golden Gun"
C) "Gold Digger" ......

Himes swarmed with inauguration ticket requests
One would think Rep.-elect Jim Himes, D-Conn., was giving away tickets to the Super Bowl or the opener of the new Yankee Stadium the way the requests have been flooding into his office from those who want to attend the Jan. 20 swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama.

As an incoming member of Congress, Himes said he was allotted about 198 tickets for the inauguration ceremony, including 21 highly coveted seats on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
The vast majority of the tickets, Himes and his transition Chief-of-Staff Don Carlson said, will go to elected officials from the 4th District, heads of labor and community groups such as the NAACP and local churches, and key supporters.

"Put it this way, I certainly could get rid of 100 times the number of tickets I've been given access to," Himes said in an interview on Friday.

Around 28 remaining tickets were distributed via lottery on Himes' Web site, he said....

Folks head to gym for new year

While working out at the Greenwich Family YMCA on Saturday, Joe Mahon, 37, said it was his New Year's resolution to get in shape this year.

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