Crime & Safety

Bethel Police Command Center Completed With Help From Local Business

Finished bus was shown the Police Commission Wednesday night.

The Bethel Police Department celebrated the completion of its mobile command center Wednesday night, by thanking resident Richard Verdi and the .

In 2007, the Bethel Police Department received a 2001 Ford bus donated from the HART Bus Company of Danbury. Since that time, members of the police department have worked to convert the bus into a mobile command post vehicle for use in emergencies and community service, such as parades and crime prevention events.

Verdi donated some of the bus' final touches: emergency lighting, a public address system and scene lighting equipment. 

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"Now that [Verdi] donated some $2,000 worth of lights to the command vehicle, it's really given it the finishing touch," Police Chief Jeffrey Finch said. "Without the lighting, it would have never been complete."

Finch said that the idea to have a command center happened after a chaotic fire on South Street a few years ago. "The command center shows people that there is a police presence," he said. 

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In emergency situations, the center will provide police with a meeting point, an area to do paper or computer work and an area for residents to get information. 

After years of hard work, donations and grants, the command center is now ready for use thanks to Verdi's donation.

"I was really honored to do it," Verdi said. "I'm happy to be here. I respect these guys, they put their necks on the line for us every day...it's the way I think I should do my civic duty."

Verdi has lived in Bethel for 45 years and his company is family owned and operated, as his two sons act as its presidents. Finch said Verdi has also donated to the Bethel Police in forms of radios and rifles. 

The paintwork and lettering on the command center was provided at discount by John Kennedy of the Smitty Autobody Shop of Bethel. Interior fixtures were obtained with grant funding made available by the State of Connecticut Department of Homeland Security. 


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