Wallingford PD and Child Safety

[Mikey11027]

Ok so as a parent-to-be I'm pretty ****ed at Wallingford's finest. I asked an out of town officer how to get a car seat checked to be sure its in securely and properly. He said check with the local police dept and make an appointment as they have an officer trained to do safety seat checks. So I visited the Wallingford PD and talked with the officers at the front desk. They said they used to have a certified officer but they stopped the program because it "was taking up too much of the officer's time". They also said AAA will do it if you are a member for free and the State Police will do it also. Now what am I missing here? If I was clueless and strapped this in any way I wanted to, the baby would be in danger. If I was stopped by an officer I would surely get fined for an insecure car seat. Seems like Wallingford's servants to public safety put this issue on IGNORE. 4 out of 5 car seats are improperly secured. Yet the town you live and pay taxes in, DOESNT CARE about the child's safety!!! I may be over reacting but as a soon to be parent I find this aweful that I would have to go out of town for this.

[john12774]

Ok so as a parent-to-be I'm pretty ****ed at Wallingford's finest. I asked an out of town officer how to get a car seat checked to be sure its in securely and properly. He said check with the local police dept and make an appointment as they have an officer trained to do safety seat checks. So I visited the Wallingford PD and talked with the officers at the front desk. They said they used to have a certified officer but they stopped the program because it "was taking up too much of the officer's time". They also said AAA will do it if you are a member for free and the State Police will do it also. Now what am I missing here? If I was clueless and strapped this in any way I wanted to, the baby would be in danger. If I was stopped by an officer I would surely get fined for an insecure car seat. Seems like Wallingford's servants to public safety put this issue on IGNORE. 4 out of 5 car seats are improperly secured. Yet the town you live and pay taxes in, DOESNT CARE about the child's safety!!! I may be over reacting but as a soon to be parent I find this aweful that I would have to go out of town for this.

You are over-reacting. Read the instructions carefully strap it in yourself.

[collie]

I don't think you're overreacting; welcome to parenthood! I had carseats back in the day; I read the directions but never was overly confident about the results. I don't think they had any resources back then to help but working two jobs I was so exhausted I'm not so sure I would have gone beyond getting my husband to put it in for me anyways. Good for you for really trying to do the best for your baby! I'm sure you'll go the extra mile and get the assistance to make sure your baby is as safe as possible. And under the circumstances, it's too bad that officer wasn't around and couldn't help you anyways, even if they did end the program.

[jma]

Apparently, to "serve and protect" only applies when it's convenient in Wallingford. My cousin was able to make an appointment with the Meriden Police Department for a child seat demonstration. The officer was terrific, and took the time to not only explain how the seat should go in, but discussed future seats, booster seats, etc. If the Wallingford PD doesn't feel their officers have time for such mundane tasks, train a civilian to do it.

[Mikey11027]

I was sitting here with my wife thinking we were the only crazy ones who thought this way. I'm glad others agree about the PD being too busy to care for our children's safety.