The New Haven Independent reports: First they put citizens on patrol with guns. Then they called in the Guardian Angels. Now, dissatisfied with new promises of crime-fighting help from the mayor and police chief, Edgewood neighbors are calling on the governor to send in state troopers.

“It’s a straightforward resource issue,” said Peaches Quinn, treasurer of the Whalley-Edgewood- Beaver Hills Management Team (WEB). “We don’t have enough people to get the project accomplished. Where can we go to get resources? The state is realistic and viable.”

WEB made the request at a Wednesday morning press conference along with the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol (EPDP / Shomrim).

Shomrim have called on the city and the police department to increase patrols and bring back community-based policing tactics but have so far not been appeased.

Wednesday’s press conference came just hours after Mayor John DeStefano and Police Chief Francisco Ortiz came to a WEB and promised to send occasional new foot and bike patrols to the neighborhoods when officers weren’t busy doing other things. The very fact that the press conference was held reflected that the promise failed to appease the neighbors, who have demanded the city assign 10 full-time foot and bike patrols to the area.

NHI