Community Corner

As Alleged Horse Assault is Debated, So is The Issue of Security Measures

Farm owners, the police and a security system company weigh in on the benefits and drawbacks of installing cameras and other devices on personal property to deter trespassing and crime.

Opinions vary widely among Shelton police, vendors and farm owners on the deterring effect of security cameras in barns and corrals — an issue that arose recently in town with the  of a horse.

While emergency responders and one company that sells the systems say they may deter criminals, at least one area horse farm owner thinks differently.

Primarily, securing a horse farm is difficult because the plots they occupy are so large, according to John Plazmicky, owner of Blue Spruce Farm in Monroe.

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"We have nine acres here at Blue Spruce and to put security cameras in all the different turnouts so you could keep an eye on everything – you’re talking a lot of money, like $100,000,” Plazmicky told Patch.

Joan Flannery, owner of a  she claims was assaulted, has much less land to look after. Her family owns three horses compared to Plazmicky’s 15. But even with the difference in numbers and acreage, both farm owners have had problems with trespassing.

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“We’ve certainly had trouble in the past.” Plazmicky said. “Young kids have come on to the property just to mess around. There’s really nothing to prevent that. If I build a fence, they can climb over the fence. And it’s not like I’m going to put barbed wire around my land.”

Still, Plazmicky says he has never considered outdoor cameras, in part because he doubts their reliability.

“When it gets dark, and it gets really dark in corrals at night, you wouldn’t be able to see anything anyway,” he said.

 Chief Joel Hurliman said that cameras are a good start at preventative measures, but there are additional resources people should consider when looking to invest in home security.

“Motion sensor lights help discourage trespassing, and they also help cameras pick up a clearer picture at night,” Hurliman said.

As for the Flannery’s property, Hurliman said, “The cameras are great, but you never know – there could be a situation where a horse is running free on the land, somebody can still get to it and maybe not be seen.” He added that an alarm system could curtail such a scenario.

Nancee Gell of , a Stamford-based company, said that the company is “selling tons and tons of cameras for residential applications.” She said that not only do her customers benefit from feeling safer on a day-to-day basis, if a burglary or crime situation were to occur, “the perpetrator is caught on tape and computer, and that clip can be given to the police.”

Flannery has said that even though her camera system is set up, she and her family still have not been able to shake their fears. Asked if the security cameras make her feel safer, she answered, "No."

Flannery said that because she is not home every minute of every day, her family often views the recorded playbacks, and, "When you're looking at it after the fact, it doesn't help much if something suspicious happened."

She has put padlocks on the gates surrounding the horse area, and also at the family pool area, which has an entrance into the corral.

"It's all very inconvenient for me," Flannery said. "It's a pain in the neck."


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