Karen Wadsworth took it upon herself to pressure the town to adopt tougher rules.
WILTON – The woman who led the crusade to get a more stringent sex offender notification policy on the books in Wilton is calling a bulletin board hung Monday on the exterior of the police station a blessing.
Karen Wadsworth became concerned last fall that the town’s police department wasn’t doing its part to let residents know when a convicted sex offender moved here.
She took it upon herself to post hundreds of fliers featuring the photo and information about a registered sex offender who had moved back to Wilton after his release from jail.
Wadsworth didn’t stop there, though.
She also went to the chief, James Parker, and then to selectmen and the town manager, Peter Nielsen, to ask that Wilton adopt tougher rules on posting and notifying.
After several selectmen meetings in which the issue was discussed, it was agreed that the process of notifying neighbors, schools, day cares and others who may be impacted by a convicted offender’s move to town should be sped up.
On Monday, Parker and Nielsen proudly stood outside Wilton’s public safety complex and showed off a new bulletin board, enclosed in Plexiglas, that hung on the exterior of the station and featured the photos and biographies of the three registered sex offenders who live in town.
A new fire engine red emergency call box, which connects directly to dispatch at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, is just a few feet away. The idea for the call box came from Wilton officer Kevin McCutcheon.
Parker said he has officers on duty around the clock but they don’t spend a lot of time at the station, preferring to cruise the community. Some people in town have complained that it’s hard to get in touch with Wilton police and Parker said this should help make that easier.
“These are big steps toward solving the problem discussed at those selectmen meetings,” said Parker. “It feels good knowing people will be able to reach us easier.”
Dispatch will contact a Wilton officer who will arrive at the station within minutes.
The board cost $250 and the call box about $400. Parker took the funds from his new equipment budget.
Soon a light and a security camera will be up above the call box.
“Helping is what we are trying to do,” said Nielsen. “The chief deserves a lot of credit for this.”
The town manager said he does his best to listen to the community and when ideas can be carried out, he tries to help make them happen.
Wadsworth was surprised to learn that just a few months after she asked for changes to be made, they were.
“What a blessing this is,” she said on Monday upon learning about the new bulletin board. “That’s exactly what I wanted. I feel like this is a victory.”
Wadsworth said she is proud to live in a town where the taxpayers’ requests are taken into account.
“Hey, we can make our town better,” she said. “It makes me feel good to live in Wilton. Our town manager has shown he does take the people of his town seriously.”
Wadsworth stressed that her push to make notification stricter and quicker wasn’t about her. Instead, she says, it was about her community and its children.
“It wasn’t a personal attack. It was an attack against the system and I wanted that system changed,” she said. “I feel safer now.”
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