Berlin PD Divers Pull Stolen Vehicle Out Of Farmington Park's Pond

FARMINGTON/BERLIN/NEW BRITAIN, CT — A two-town police dive team out of Berlin was seen at the site of a new regional park located in Farmington/New Britain and operated by a Hartford agency.

According to the Berlin Police Department, the Berlin/New Britain Police Dive Team was called to Batterson Pond in Batterson Park on Wednesday to help fish out a stolen vehicle from the lake.

Also assisting, the Berlin PD said, was the Capital Region Emergency Services Team (CREST).

The BPD said the vehicle was submerged in approximately 15 feet of water, and it was located and removed.

Batterson Park (as well as Batterson Pond, which serves as its centerpiece) was once a City of Hartford park, despite being located outside city limits in mostly Farmington as well as New Britain.

On April 22, area officials and community members broke ground on the new Batterson Park, which was shuttered by the City of Hartford in 2015 due to financial issues. The site is still owned by Hartford.

The new park, which would be at 96 Batterson Park Road, Farmington, would include a new driveway and parking area, park support buildings, a boardwalk, and picnic areas.

Batterson features a 155-acre pond as part of the 266-acre park, with 80 percent in Farmington and the remaining 20 percent in the City of New Britain.

There is a $7 million plan to reopen the park with a splash pad, picnic pavilions, a kayak/canoe launch, a fishing pier, a bird-watching tower, and a playground/hiking trails.

The new park, however, would not include any public swimming at the park pond.

It will be operated by Riverfront Recapture, a Hartford non-profit that manages multiple parks in the greater Hartford region.

That multi-town approach, the Berlin PD said, also describes the dive team, which was called into action Wednesday.

"The Berlin Police Department has had a dive team since as early as the 70s, with a more established dive team being formed in the 80s," wrote the BPD.

"Since we have a great working relationship with the New Britain Police Department, we have two New Britain officers assigned to the team and four Berlin divers, creating a multiagency team to share personnel and resources."

From April 23: 'Massive Farmington Park's Resurrection Officially Underway'

From Feb. 19: 'Long-Shuttered Park's Resurrection Approved By Farmington PZC'