New anti-violence initiative announced

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Too much violence and too many deaths. Since January, New Britain has had five murders and nearly 150 reports of shots fired, so the time for action is now.

A new anti-violence initiative, that has been worked on for months, was announced on Tuesday.

"Now let me say to those individuals who are responsible for gun violence and violent crime in the communities of this judicial district, today is a bad day for you," said Brian Preleski, State's Attorney.

Tuesday, the city announced the creation of the "Greater New Britain Shooting Taskforce", a special team made up of police officers and other crime fighting personnel from both the state and neighboring municipalities.

The right to feel safe is the number one goal.

"My dream one time is to drive through certain neighborhoods and see kids outside playing. Haven't seen that in years in some places," the Chief State's Attorney, Kent Kane said. "If we can bring about that, the result can be worth far more than the money we're spending right now."

News 8 is told much of the problem is centered on gang-related violence.

"Folks got sentenced to some significant jail time in the 90's, some are getting out. There's a little bit of recruiting, there are lot of things that impact gang activity," Chief James Wardwell, of the New Britain Police Dept. said.

Research shows the majority of problems are centered on a small core of individuals, people who are now targets by an aggressive task force.

"Communities will get safer. Someday law enforcement won't have to do as much as it's doing,"  Chief Wardwell said.