11/03/2005

The Saratogian (Saratoga, NY)
By JIM KINNEY

School district ponders cameras

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The city school district is considering putting surveillance cameras in its parking lots in the wake of Monday's attempted kidnapping at the high school.

'We put the infrastructure in when we had our renovations,' Superintendent John MacFadden said Wednesday. 'We decided to do more with the lighting. That was the major complaint among adults at the time.'

The school district is also planning to bring in off-duty police officers for longer periods of time and make them more visible. They had been in plainclothes and unmarked cars.

'We're thinking of putting them in a car that says 'Saratoga School District Security.' It would be like what Skidmore does,' he said.

The idea is that the obvious security would deter criminals.

MacFadden said coaches have spoken with athletes about walking to their cars in groups and parking together to stay safe after practices.

He also plans to meet with Mahoney Notify-Plus Inc. of Glens Falls, the company that does security and fire alarms for the district.

Police were at Saratoga Springs High School Wednesday evening showing a photo of John F. Regan of Waterbury, Conn., to parents picking up students to ask if they'd seen him nearby.

Regan, who turns 49 today, is charged with attempted second-degree kidnapping. He's accused of grabbing a 17-year-old high school senior from behind as she walked to her car through a crowded parking lot after cross country practice at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

The girl fought Regan off, and someone called 911. Coach Art Kranick followed him to Beekman Street, where police arrested Regan.

Police believe that Regan planned the kidnapping but selected the victim at random and didn't know her. He was free on bail awaiting trial for a kidnapping and a sexual assault in his hometown.

Regan is now being held in Saratoga County Jail without bail.

City and state police investigators have more than 50 leads, city Police Chief Edward Moore said. That could include anything from bits of physical evidence to reports of Regan sightings.

'We still have a lot to do,' Moore said.

Moore said that he believes that Regan, who has family in this area, has been in Saratoga Springs before.

Regan arrived in town Monday, possibly for a construction job. According to police in Connecticut, it was legal for him to leave the state even though he was on bail.

Much of the investigation centers on physical evidence collection and working with the state police crime laboratory in Albany. Moore likened it to television shows like 'CSI.'

He said he'll talk about security with school officials, but police are limited in what they can do. He referenced Christopher G. Turner, who kidnapped a 7-year-old girl from a crowded East Side Rec and molested her in 2001. Police caught Turner, whose first parole date is 2017.

'Just like there are predators in the jungle,' he said, 'there are predators among us humans.'