Laura Glesby Photo
Hamden Lt. Tim Wydra.
Hamden Police Lt. Tim Wydra said he was bringing advice for the “ladies” of New Haven’s Newhallville Community Management Team: Amid a dramatic uptick in purse snatchings in recent weeks, “do your best not to be a victim.”
Wydra said that many of the purse snatchings have occurred on Dixwell Avenue and in a nearby shopping center in Hamden. In some cases, the perpetrators swiped bags straight from people’s shopping carts. Ten incidents occurred in just a night.
The lieutenant urged listeners not to carry large purses, and to keep their wallets close.
Wydra stopped by Newhallville’s monthly Community Management Team meeting on Tuesday night in the cafeteria of Lincoln Bassett Community School. He came as part of a recent initiative within the Hamden Police Department to mend community relations in Newhallville after Hamden and Yale officers fired shots at two unarmed black residents of the neighborhood last April.
A border technically separates New Haven’s Newhallville neighborhood and Hamden’s Newhall area. In reality they bleed into each other and share common challenges — like the recent pursue snatchings.
New Haven Police Lt. Manmeet Colon, Newhallville’s top cop, chimed in after Wydra presented. She said that most of the purse-snatchers have been preteen. She blamed absentee parents who aren’t “calling them at 10 o’clock at night” asking where the kids are.
“We need, as a community, to come together,” Lt. Colon said. “Parents need to really be a part of their children’s lives, because otherwise we can’t do anything about it.”
Lt. Manmeet Colon, right, with LCI’s Linda Davis-Cannon.
The lieutenants said that the kids typically want the money from people’s wallets.
Management Team Chair Kim Harris asked how to react if confronted by a purse snatcher. “Do you suggest fight or flight?” she asked.
“I would never suggest fight,” Wydra said.
“That doesn’t sit well with me,” Harris said, garnering a laugh from the room.
Separately, Hamden police Capt. Ronald Smith issued the following tips in response to the wave:
• If possible, leave your purse at home. Carry essentials, such as money, credit cards and identification in your pockets.
• If you decide to carry a purse, the purse should contain what you specifically need. For example, if you plan on using a credit card to make a purchase, carry only the credit card that you plan to use.
• Walk in an area that is illuminated and populated.
• Be aware of your surroundings. Make eye contact with the person that is approaching you. Thieves tend to “strike and run.” Try not to appear vulnerable.
• Hold your purse tightly and close to your body. Secure your purse. Your purse should be latched or zippered. Shorten the strap if possible.
• Carry your purse under your jacket. Limit exposure.
• Don’t leave your purse unattended in a shopping cart.
• If someone “pulls” at your purse, let it go. Don’t expose yourself to serious physical injury.