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FAIRFIELD – Police are investigating the theft of thousands of dollars worth of rings, bracelets and necklaces in an early-morning break-in over the weekend at Lenox Jewelers, 2379 Black Rock Turnpike.

A security guard with Homeguard, which has offices below the store, heard the sound of glass breaking a little after 1 a.m. Saturday, police said. He called ADT, the jewelry store’s alarm company, which then contacted police.

Glass display cases at the front of the store were smashed and an undetermined amount of jewelry was missing, police said. A canine from the Bridgeport Police Department was brought in to help track the suspect, but was unsuccessful in picking up the trail of any suspects.

Sgt. James Perez said there several security cameras at the shopping center and police are reviewing videotapes of the incident.

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So the “reality” of so-called reality television shows is once again exposed as unreal. Dangerously so.

Hard on the heels of last month’s “Balloon Boy” hoax, comes news that an uninvited couple from the horsey set in northern Virginia simply sashayed into the glittering state dinner at the White House on Tuesday night for the Indian prime minister. Sweeping past what is supposed to be the tightest security on earth, the gatecrashers — identified as Michaele and Tareq Salahi — rubbed shoulders with Washington’s power elite and Hollywood A-listers, had their photo taken with Veep Joe Biden and danced the night away … perhaps right into the cast of, you guessed it, a reality TV show.

This breach of security, let alone protocol, came to light only after the Salahis bragged about their coup on their Facebook page: “Honored to be at the White House for the state dinner in honor of India with President Obama and our First Lady!” they wrote, according to the Associated Press. And, along with their photos at the event, they wrote: “A Sensational Night honoring India,” reports AP.

The ensuing publicity bonanza should help the Salahis secure a spot on the Bravo reality TV show, “Real Housewives of D.C.,” for which they were reportedly being considered even before their state dinner fandango. The “real” in the show’s title, by the way, should be absorbed with skepticism the size of an aircraft carrier.

All of this has left the Prez’s Secret Service protectors crimson-faced, and apparently speechless. “We’re being intentionally vague on that,” Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan told the AP when asked Thursday to explain how the security breach may have occurred. “All we are saying is that procedures we have in place weren’t followed.”

No kidding.

So for those who thought the Heene family’s pursuit of a reality TV show, by concocting the hoax of a 6-year-old boy trapped in a runaway helium balloon, couldn’t be topped, it just has been. And all it took was a couple decked out in formal wear — and attitude to spare.

For their 15 minutes of infamy, the shameless ambition of the TV reality crowd knows no bounds. And that is real scary.

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Photo by Laura Buckman / for the Connecticut Post

Lynn Kerwin takes her oath for Assistant Chief of Police in a ceremony at Bridgeport City Hall on Monday, November 16, 2009.

Photo by Laura Buckman / for the Connecticut Post

Lianne Mychajluk, left, pins a Captain’s badge on her grandmother, police Captain Aida Remele, in a ceremony at Bridgeport City Hall on November 16, 2009.

Photo by Laura Buckman / for the Connecticut Post

Joseph Badolato kisses his son Marcello Badolato, age 4, on the cheek after receiving his detective badge in a cermony at Bridgeport City Hall on Monday, November 16, 2009.

Lynn Kerwin capped a 23-year career in Bridgeport law enforcement last night when she was sworn in as assistant chief, the Police Department’s No. 2 position.

Kerwin’s ascension, in part, is the result of a federal court order that for nearly a quarter-century had a “special master” oversee recruiting, hiring and investigating complaints about discrimination in the department. One of her primary roles will be to assume those duties once the master is phased out next September.

Kerwin shared the spotlight during the swearing-in ceremonies at City Hall with a host of fellow officers who also moved up the chain of command.

Here’s the list of other cops who now get to polish a little more brass:

Captains: Robert Evans, Armando Perez, Aida Remele and Joseph Savino Jr.

Lieutenants: William Bailey, John Cueto, Kevin Gilleran and Brett Hyman.

Detectives: Joseph Badolato, Mark Belinkie, James Borrico, John Burke, Jorge Cintron, David A. Garcia. Mark T. Graham, Martin M. Heanue, Todd Hoben and William Reilly.

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A production error here at the Connecticut Post deprived readers of the newspaper who may be interested in seeing the Stratford High School production of “Cactus Flower” the details of when and where that play will be staged.

Here’s the missing information for the SHS production, which does accompany the online version of the feature article about the play:

“Cactus Flower” will be staged by the Stratford High School Drama Society at 7:30 p.m. today and at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the school’s John F. Kennedy Memorial Auditorium. Tickets cost $9 for adults and $7 for students and senior citizens. Reserve tickets by calling 203-381-6909, ext. 1234, e-mailing shstickets@yahoo.com, or purchasing them at the door.

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John Burgeson/staff photo

David Murbach, Rockerfeller Center gardens manager, watches as the Easton tree destined for New York, is cut down. The Christmas tree will be lit on December 2nd.

Another towering tree from Fairfield County will be the centerpiece of New York City’s Christmas festivities.

A 76-foot Norway spruce from Easton is being chopped down this morning to be the most ballyhooed boughs of the season at Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan.

The tree, said to weigh in at about 10 tons and 40 feet in diameter, is on property owned by Maria Corti, who is a school teacher, according to the Associated Press.

It’s the second tree from the region to be so honored in two years.

An even taller Norway spruce from Shelton — measuring about 84 feet tall — got the distinction in 2007.

More later on connpost.com and in tomorrow’s Connecticut Post.

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The Milford police officer whose cruiser rammed another car in June, killing two Orange teens, has apparently surrendered today to face multiple charges filed against him in the case.

Officer Jason Anderson, who has been a Milford officer five years, turned himself in on the charges at State Police barracks in Bethany.

State Police are expected to detail the charges later this afternoon.

The crash, which took place in early June as Anderson was returning to Milford via the Boston Post Road from a mutual-aid call in West Haven, claimed the lives of friends Dave Servin and Ashlie Krakowski, both 19.

More later on this developing case on connpost.com and in tomorrow’s Connecticut Post.

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So this is what passes for being “ecologically conscious” in Bridgeport?

Mayor Bill Finch, according to his spokeswoman, was acting in an “ecologically conscious” way Tuesday night when, instead of having wife Sonya drive the family chariot to Democrats’ post-election soiree, an on-duty police officer was dispatched to give her a ride.

That apparently was done so the Finches would not double their carbon footprint by having two vehicles at the pols’ party.

Worthy sentiment. And, indeed, the mayor talks often about “green, environmentally friendly” initiatives, envisioning Bridgeport as some sort of post-industrial Garden of Eden.

So let’s see how that philosophy applies to this episode: the mayor’s Ford Escape hybrid gets about 32-34 miles per gallon around the city, according to data on several authoritative websites. And, conversely, a Dodge Charger police cruiser, which presumably is the vehicle sent to fetch Mrs. Finch, gets about 16 mpg. Ecologically, conscious or otherwise, this just doesn’t add up.

Plus, it’s the kind of “green” thinking that will likely make the city’s strapped taxpayers see “red.”

Unaddressed in this upside-down ecological equation is the attitude that the mayor was far too busy to tear himself away from Chairman Testa’s gathering — his Democrats were virtually assured of a big win before a single ballot was cast — to take the 10- to 15-minute trip to pick up his wife himself. And having an on-duty police officer do the job is something that should not have been green-lighted for all kinds of obvious reasons.

Yes. Mr. Mayor, it’s not easy being green, but this kind of ecological consciousness would make most people crimson with embarrassment.

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Indeed, there will be “arrests” of Sacred Heart University students today.

But, alas for North End residents lobbying for police to crack down on SHU students staging raucous parties in their neighborhood, it will not be answer to your prayers.

It’s a so-called “Jail and Bail” fundraiser benefiting the Special Olympics of Connecticut. The concept has been around for a while: You fill out a “warrant” for somebody you want to be “arrested.” Public safety officers, helped by local police, make the arrest and present the arrestee to a panel of judges, made up of university faculty, administrators and local VIPs volunteering their time. The judges review the warrant and set bail based on charges, taking into account poor dress, messy hair, missing class, sleeping in too late, poor attitude, etc. (Hey, North Enders, entire blocks of students living off campus could be brought up on those “charges”!) Next, the arrestee is placed in a “cell” on campus and then must contact friends and family to make donations and to raise “bail” in the form of donations to Special Olympics in order to be released.

The Jail and Bail event gets under way this morning at 9 and continues through 5 p.m. on the SHU campus on upper Park Avenue in Fairfield. The charitable haul probably could have been a lot larger, however, if the Special Olympians had scheduled the event on a party-time Friday or Saturday night.

So whether for a good cause — or good riddance — here’s a chance to a bit of a payback, which also will pay off for Special Olympics.

For more information, visit www.soct.org or call 203-380-9990.