Waterbury, Connecticut, police limiting van use following New Haven incident

In June, a CT man was detained and cuffed in the back of a seatbelt-less police van when he was paralyzed after an abrupt stop sent him flying. Now CT police are limiting van use.

The directive took effect July 1, and the seat belt installation and training are expected to be completed by the end of the summer, Lt. Ryan Bessette, a police spokesman, said Monday. The vans had been used every day around the clock to transport most prisoners from arrest locations to the police station, to avoid taking cruisers off the streets for long periods.