Page 1 of 1

Thank You City Workers, RTA Drivers and Police!

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:34 am
by Jim O'Bryan
This story came in last night as we went to press. As it showed just how great city workers, RTA drivers, and police are, I have decided to post it here. It is this network with the eyes of many more Observers that help keep the city safe.

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Dave, Bob, Detective Miller, and the RTA driver.

On Friday the 20th at 10:15 a.m., Dave Ostrander stepped out of his truck and stopped a crime. Ostrander, who has worked the refuse department for 11 years, an unidentified RTA bus driver and fellow refuse employee, Bob Collins, saw a young male walking with a flat screen television under his arm. Both Bob and the RTA Driver called the police who came to Waterbury and Athens to get to the bottom of this suspicious situation.

The young man took off running with on his heels police, in hot pursuit. The suspect was quickly losing ground, eventually dropping television. In a desperate attempt to evade police he changed course, running south through yards on Waterbury.

This is when Ostrander saw the kid running, with the police losing distance. Ostrander took his truck to the top of the street, calmly got out and confronted the huffing and puffing suspect and said, “Stop, or I will tackle you.â€￾ The young man, realizing the chase was over, sat down and waited for police to catch up.

After Detective Terry Miller placed him in handcuffs, they were tipped off to another male in a car, and he was also apprehended.

Ostrander, Collins, and the unidentified RTA workers are just three of the hundreds of heroes in this town that have stepped up to make the streets safer.

As Dave put it, "We all work too hard to come home from work and see our homes broken into, and items missing. I believe I just did what anyone would have done, protect the city I love."


.

Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:08 pm
by Patrick Slife
As a woker for the Cit yof Lakewood, and a Union officer, I would like to thank Mr. Ostrander and Mr. Collins as well.

It is Public Works employees like them that make us all appreciate the services they provide. They did not have to interfere in the apprehention, but they took the personal initialtive to involve themsleves in the community beyond their daily grind.

Congratualtions on being more than just a service in one sense of the word.