Darien Criminal Lawyer
Located in the heart of Fairfield County, the Town of Darien, Connecticut is home to approximately 20,000 residents. It is bordered by Stamford on the West, New Canaan on the North, Norwalk on the East, and the Long Island Sound to its South. It is 23.4 square miles in area and nearly half of that is made up of water. Some of Darien’s larger neighborhoods include Noroton, Noroton Heights, and Tokeneke. It is no secret that the Town of Darien is home to some of the wealthiest families in Connecticut. In 2011, CNN placed Darien as the 9th “top-earning towns” in the United States. Many successful business professionals reside here, many who commute to New York City. And unfortunately, as the best Darien criminal lawyers would admit, where there’s wealth, there is a possibility of crime—especially property crimes that are committed in the form of larcenies, burglaries, credit card theft, and identity theft, all of which are commonly prosecuted in Darien.
Arrested in Darien Connecticut? Darien Arrests Report to Stamford Superior Court
The Town of Darien does not have a civil or criminal courthouse. It is part of the GA1 – or Geographical Area 1 which reports to Stamford Superior Court. So if you are arrested in Darien for Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Violence, Risk of Injury, or DWI / DUI, you will be required to appear in Stamford Superior Court, 123 Hoyt Street, in Stamford, Connecticut. Prior to going to court for a Darien arrest, however, you should contact a top Darien criminal lawyer to better understand your rights and options so you do not plead guilty to a Darien misdemeanor or felony charge without understanding all of your options. The same goes for State Trooper arrests that are made in Darien on I-95. While you will be booked, fingerprinted and photographed at Troop G in Bridgeport, Connecticut, a Darien State Trooper arrest on I-95 will be sent to Stamford Superior Court for prosecution and resolution.
The Darien Police Department
The Darien Police Department is made up of approximately 51 trained and skilled uniformed police officers. The Police Department is made up of a number of specialized divisions: the Patrol Division, the Detective Division, the Youth Division and the Traffic Division. The Patrol Division is the largest of the divisions, consisting of 39 uniformed officers, who are considered the backbone of the Darien Police Department because of their visibility to the members of the Darien community on a day-to-day basis. Within the Patrol Unit is the Special Enforcement squad, existing solely to target select issues in town. The Detective Division, although a lot smaller in size than the Patrol Division, investigates felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur in Darien, such as burglaries, larceny crimes, Darien domestic violence arrests, drug crimes, Darien sex assaults, financial crimes and Darien identity theft arrests. If you are arrested in Darien for a DWI / DUI, domestic violence crime, risk of injury, a violation of protective order, or any misdemeanor or felony, then you will be required to appear in Stamford Superior Court for your first court appearance.
Darien Juvenile Crimes & Darien Youth Detective Division
One standout division of the Darien Police Department is its Youth Division, whose highly trained detectives and officers are dedicated to preventing juvenile delinquency through its educational and safety programs. The Darien Police Youth Detective Bureau’s close collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Darien School System, and Darien’s popular youth center, the Depot, provides the Darien Police Department with a unique and dynamic approach to crime prevention, as well as conducting juvenile crime investigations. As a result, the Youth Bureau appears to be just as committed to prevention and education as they are to making arrests. It’s also important to know that the Darien Police Juvenile and Youth division has ramped up its efforts to crack down on underage drinking. The best Darien criminal attorneys have seen arrests in Darien for felony distribution of alcohol to minors per CGS 30-86 (also known as hosting an underage drinking party) in addition to arrests in Darien for Minor in Possession 30-89 and Possession of Marijuana 21a-279a. Top Darien criminal lawyers attorneys point out that a Darien juvenile arrest is referred to Stamford Superior Court – Juvenile Division, although the more serious Juvenile Delinquency arrests are remanded to the Bridgeport Detention Center for arraignments.
Darien Police Marine Units
In addition to its many divisions, the Darien Police Department also has a number of specialized units. In 2005, some of the Department’s officers joined police officers from other Connecticut municipalities in becoming members of the Southwest Regional Emergency Response Team. This Team is tasked to handle hostage situations, civil disturbances, and crisis negotiations, to name a few. Another of the Department’s specialized units is the SCUBA-trained Underwater Recovery Team, to assist in underwater evidence recovery and investigations. The Department has a second specialized aquatic unit—the Marine Diving Unit—trained in water-related matters. This Unit’s mission however, is very different from the mission of Underwater Recovery Team Unit. The Marine Diving Unit is committed to preventing water-related accidents and injuries, by enforcing waterway laws. The Crisis Intervention Team is another of the specialized units. Highly trained in a variety of useful tactics to handle individuals with mental illness, this Team has produced benefits over the years that include reductions in use of lethal force and injuries to officers and individuals in crisis. The last of the specialized units is the K9 Unit which assists in locating missing persons, narcotics detection, and evidence recovery through the use of trained dogs.
Darien’s Parks & Beaches
As a waterfront town on the Long Island Sound, the Town of Darien is home to a number of private membership country clubs, yacht clubs and hunt clubs, including the Country Club of Darien, the Darien Boat Club, the Noroton Yacht Club, the Ox Ridge Hunt Club, the Piedmont Club, the Tokeneke Club, the Wee Burn Country Club, the Woodway Country Club and the Middlesex Club. The town has 12 parks and 30 acres of shoreline beaches. Some of those parks and beaches include Cherry Lawn Park, Baker Park, Frate Park, McGuane Park, Weed Beach and Pear Tree Point Beach. The best Darien criminal attorneys regularly see Darien DWI / DUI arrests arising from too much drinking at public parks, beaches, country clubs and local bars. These top Darien DUI / DWI criminal lawyers know that Darien police will often linger in their patrol cars outside these locations late at night in an effort to apprehend and arrest Darien drunk drivers. Therefore if you are arrested in Darien Connecticut for a DUI or DWI, you should contact a top Darien criminal lawyer to figure out if you should take or refuse the breath test.
Rowayton Connecticut Arrests Report to Norwalk Superior Court
Despite its close proximity to Darien, Rowayton is actually part and parcel of the City of Norwalk, not Darien. It is a small affluent coastal community with a median home price hovering somewhere above $1.5 million. Rowayton has become one of the most expensive communities in Connecticut and also in the United States.
Many residents are attracted to Rowayton because of its small size and waterfront access. It is a little over 2 square miles in area and home to less than 4,000 residents. The residents are able to walk the whole community. The town has been an appealing home to a number of artists and writers. Visitors are drawn to Rowayton for its waterfront restaurants that serve some of the freshest seafood around, and its many beaches, that include, among others, Roton Point and Bayley Beach. One unique arrest seen frequently by the best Darien criminal lawyers is a Darien or Rowayton arrest for Boating While Intoxicated, also known as a BWI / BUI under CGS 15-133. Connecticut BWI / BUI arrests occur often in the Summertime, especially when Darien and Rowayton boat owners have too much to drink while entertaining friends and family on their boats in the Darien and Rowayton harbors.
If you are arrested in Rowayton Connecticut for Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Violence, or DWI / DUI, you will actually be required to appear in the Norwalk Superior Court, and should consider consulting a top Norwalk criminal attorney. On the other hand, if you arrested in Darien, you would have to appear at the Stamford Superior Court, and should contact a top Darien criminal lawyer to assist you.
Post 53 Darien Emergency Medical Services
Also unique to Darien is Post 53—a volunteer organization that has been providing emergency medical services to members of the Darien community for nearly 50 years. The Service is staffed primarily by high school students that are selected each year from a large pool and are typically high academic achievers. It is also staffed by adults who serve as advisers to the students and respond to all calls that take place while the students are at school. Over 550 students have served on Post 53 since its creation.
This emergency medical service responds to nearly 1000 calls each year and has gained quite a bit of notoriety both locally and nationally for its outstanding emergency services. Stamford Hospital is in charge of training the Post 53 volunteers and reviewing the services provided for each call.
Darien High School
Darien High School is the only public high school in the Town of Darien. In 2013, the school was ranked number 1 in the “U.S. News Best High Schools in Connecticut.” Like other public high schools in the neighboring municipalities of Stamford and Greenwich, Darien High School offers the services of a Darien Police Officer on site as the full-time School Resource Officer. He spends his days interacting with the students of Darien High School, attending and monitoring sporting events, and generally building relationships with students, in the hopes that he can positively influence them and prevent problems at school. In the event that prevention is not possible, the SRO is permitted to make arrests at Darien High School. If a student is arrested at Darien High School, then they will be referred to Stamford Juvenile Court if they are 17 years old or younger, or will be summoned to Stamford Superior Court – adult division – if they are 18 or older. A Darien High School arrest could very well affect a student’s enrollment status at Darien High School. Therefore if you are a high school student at Darien High School and have been arrested, you should contact a top Darien juvenile crime lawyer or top Darien Connecticut School Discipline attorney and lawyer to assist you with the Darien High School expulsion and suspension process.
The Depot – Darien’s Youth Center
The Depot, located at 25 Heights Road, Darien, Connecticut, is a substance-free recreational teen center that was founded about 25 years ago by a group of parents and students. Their vision was to provide a safe and supervised place for teenagers to socialize. The building that is now home to the Depot was once the Noroton Heights Railroad Station.
The center is governed by an adult board that oversees funding and supervision, while a student board runs the day-to-day programming. The Depot’s veteran and popular Program Director, Janice Marzano, works tirelessly to facilitate the offering of the Depot’s outreach programs and events. The Depot is usually open 5 days a week and hosts a number of events, some for entertainment, like movie night and band night, and others for fundraising and educational outreach.
Darien Connecticut Domestic Violence Arrests
In 2013, the Darien Police Department received 111 domestic violence-related calls for assistance. Of those 111 calls, 37 were for domestic violence. Notwithstanding, domestic violence is considered to be highly under-reported. The Town of Darien takes the crime very seriously. So much so that it has a specialized task force, the Darien Domestic Abuse Partnership Task Force, organized by the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, to target and prevent domestic violence in Darien. In addition to raising awareness about domestic violence, the Domestic Violence Crisis Center offers a number of resources to victims that include safe houses for the victims and their children, as well as offering counseling, education and court advocacy.
If you are arrested in Darien for a domestic violence crime like Disorderly Conduct or Risk of Injury, then you will be required to appear in Stamford Superior Court on the next business morning for your first court appearance, which is also called the “arraignment.” At this first court hearing for your Darien domestic violence arrest, a criminal protective and restraining order will take place where a judge will issue 1 of 3 types of restraining orders against you: (1) a “full no contact” protective / restraining order, (2) a “full / residential stay-away” protective order, or (3) a “limited / partial” protective or restraining order. A violation of any of these categories of protective orders can result in a felony arrest for Criminal Violation of a Protective or Restraining Order under CGS 53a-223. This is why it is important to contact a top Darien criminal lawyer prior to your first court appearance for a Darien domestic violence arrest. The last thing you need after a Darien domestic violence arrest is a court order which prohibits you from seeing your children or returning to your home in Darien.
Darien Speeding Tickets & Darien Cell Phone Tickets
The Darien Police Department also has a Traffic Division dedicated to reducing accidents through monitoring motor vehicle safety and issuing citations when necessary. As a result, and similar to its neighboring Stamford and Greenwich traffic control campaigns, the Traffic Division of the Darien Police Department regularly issues 14-218a Traveling Unreasonably Fast and 14-219 Speeding tickets in the Town, often using radar and laser technology to clock a motor vehicle’s speed. Darien police are also ramping up their efforts to enforce distracted driving laws, issuing scores of tickets in Darien for 14-296aa Operating a Motor Vehicle While Using a Cell Phone or Handheld Device. So if you are issued a ticket in Darien for Speeding or Cell Phone Use, you should call a top Darien Speeding Ticket lawyer prior to pleading guilty by mail. Otherwise, it could cost you a full day in court, hundreds of dollars in fines, and can also affect your automobile insurance payments. If it’s not your first speeding ticket, it might even result in suspension of your license. So call any of the best Darien Connecticut Speeding and Cell Phone ticket lawyers to discuss your options.
The Darien Criminal Lawyers at the Mark Sherman Law Firm
So if you have been arrested in Darien Connecticut for DUI, Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Violence, Distribution of Alcohol to Minors, or Interference with Police, give any of the criminal lawyers at Mark Sherman Law a call today. We appreciate how an arrest in a small town can affect your personal and professional life, so we will work quickly to get you the best result we can under the circumstances. Once your Darien arrest is dismissed, we can also work with you to attempt to erase and remove your Darien arrest from online news reports. Our rates are reasonable and we are focused solely on one thing: results. We will sit with you and your family, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your Darien arrest. Call us today.