The State of Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice and six municipal police departments have established a new “cold case” unit that will work to make arrests in unsolved homicides in Southeastern Connecticut.

The new unit is a collaborative venture of the Groton Town, Groton City, New London, Norwich, Stonington and Waterford police departments and the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of New London and the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.

“This unit will work to investigate and examine unsolved homicides to bring those responsible to justice, providing resolution to victim’s families,” said Michael L. Regan, State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of New London.

State’s Attorney Regan and Chief State’s Attorney Kevin T. Kane expressed their gratitude to the police departments that will provide investigators to the unit who will work with Inspectors from the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of New London and the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Windham.

Chief State’s Attorney Kane noted that the Southeastern Connecticut Cold Case Unit is patterned after the cold case investigative approach utilized in the Hartford area and central Connecticut where numerous local police departments and state agencies work together to investigate unsolved cases.

“This collaborative approach has proven very successful and allows the individual law enforcement agencies to draw on the expertise of each other. This is particularly important at a time when all of these individual agencies are under operating tremendous fiscal restraints,” Chief State’s Attorney Kane said.

Prosecutors from the State’s Attorney’s office for the Judicial District of New London along with officers from the Department of Correction and the Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad will work with the unit as well.

The unit will operate two days weekly. Cases that will be investigated will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Several cases already have been identified and are in various stages of analysis and investigation.

Any tips concerning any cold case can be forwarded to the Cold Case Toll Free Tip Line at 1-866-623-8058 or via email at Cold.Case@po.state.ct.us. All tips will kept confidential.