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24 ¦ JULY 6, 2020 NEWS

Maureen Platt Reappointed to 8-Year Term
as Waterbury State’s Attorney

By Robert Storace

Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. (left) swears in Waterbury State’s Attorney Maureen Platt for another

term Tuesday. Courtesy photo

Maureen Platt, known for rolling out several that behavior,” Platt said. “We actually have a so-
key initiatives during her nine years as Wa- cial worker embedded in the office, as every file
terbury state’s attorney, was reappointed to that comes in is screened. Instead of the revolv-
an eight-year term Monday. She was sworn in Tues- ing door of arrest, release, arrest, release, we ask
day and her first day on the job was Wednesday. them, ‘What are the problems and why are you
The 64-year-old West Haven native said she is coming back?’’’
perhaps most proud of her work with the office’s The social worker, Platt said, “intervenes on their
Early Screening Intervention docket. That program, behalf and tries to solve problems. If it’s a mental
which kicked off in Waterbury and Bridgeport in health issue, she tries to get them with mental health
2016, and which Platt says she pushed for, addresses services. If a person is homeless, we work with them
low-level criminal activity in the communities of to try to get them a place to live. Our social worker
Middlebury, Naugatuck, Prospect, Southbury, Wa- establishes a relationship with these individuals to
tertown, Wolcott and Waterbury. help them.”
“Rather than just give someone 15 days in jail Platt continued: “It’s sometimes necessary to stop
for low-level crimes like panhandling and pros- criminal behavior as opposed to just punishing
titution, we try to solve the underlying cause of when it happens.”

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