A Waterbury neighborhood is helping police crack down on crime after vandals destroyed the Fulton Park Pool last week.
The pool has been closed ever since, and police haven’t found the culprits.
Residents of the Town Plot neighborhood took matters into their own hands last week by starting up a Citizens Patrol to search the streets and serve as another pair of eyes for police.
Patrol member Michael Salvio spent hours driving a patrol car across Fulton Park in the Overlook neighborhood Monday night.
“The park closes at 7 p.m. There shouldn’t be anyone in the park at that time,” Salvio said.
Salvio sat with Norma Jones by his side and carefully watched the pool.
A group of vandals jumped the fence Thursday night and destroyed the place. They threw electronics, first-aid equipment and buckets of wet paint into the water. Vandals also tagged the buildings with graffiti.
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“Shame on you," said Jones. "it’s so sad, it's so unfortunate. It has taken a lot away from a lot of our communities’ children."
The Citizens Patrol is on the lookout for suspicious activity. If they see anything, volunteers will call police right away.
“We're trying to catch whoever was involved,” Jones added.
Police had not made any arrests in the pool vandalism but said they were following a few leads. The challenge is that the pool has no surveillance cameras, and the crime went undetected.
Neighborhood leaders said they recently met with the mayor, and to ask if the city would put up lights and surveillance cameras at the pool. They said the mayor is considering it.
Until that happens, the watch group plans to stay on the alert and make sure the pool isn't targeted again.
The Fulton Park Pool is still being repaired and is expected to reopen on Wednesday.
