Police and a SWAT crew were called to a bank in New Britain, Connecticut, on Monday morning, according to local reports.
According to the Hartford Courant, several roads--including Route 72--were shut down in the area due to the investigation. The bank is Achieve Financial at 450 West Main St.
“A large, ongoing police event that required road closures” is taking place near West Main and Lincoln streets, John Healey, the mayor’s chief of staff, told the paper.
No information is being released at this time, the paper said.
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The Associated Press nation update:
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A decision by New York’s highest court striking down dozens of local laws that set boundaries on where convicted sex offenders may live has rekindled a debate over whether such laws really work to protect children.
New York’s Court of Appeals ruled unanimously last week that only the state has the power to tell offenders where they can and cannot reside, and generally only while they are on parole or supervised release. The ruling effectively struck down more than 130 local laws across the state, many of which went further than state law by imposing such restrictions on offenders for the rest of their lives.
Some lawmakers and advocates reacted by seeking to strengthen the state law, which currently bars more serious sex offenders on parole or supervised release from being within 1,000 feet any school grounds in a parked car or public areas adjacent to schools.
“We are very concerned,” said Laura Ahearn, executive director of a Long Island group called Parents for Megan’s Law. “Because certain registrants are no less dangerous the day after they complete their supervision.”
But several experts argue such residency restrictions may not provide the protection for children the laws envision.
“The truth is these laws are very popular with politicians and the public and sound good in theory,” said Jill S. Levenson, who teaches social work at Barry University in Florida. “There have been numerous studies that show there is no relationship between where a sex offender lives and the likelihood to re-offend.”
Levenson added that forcing offenders to scour an area for housing opens them to the possibility of re-offending.
“The best predictor of a successful re-entry into society is stable housing, employment and a social support system,” Levenson said. “Policies that disrupt those factors actually increase the likelihood of resuming a life of crime.”
