WHAT IS UP WITH THE GUNS?

Two innocent women have been murdered as the result of gun violence in Hartford's streets over the last couple weeks. Several other women have been shot as a result of gun violence, one of them resulting in the loss of an unborn child.

If that isn't enough to spark outrage, which it doesn't seem to have done yet, the other end of the spectrum is just as troubling, if not more so.

The number of shooting attempts and people firing at Hartford Police Officers has also seen a large increase. The number of innocent women shot alarms me but the fact that some think nothing of firing at our police officers should really worry us. What does that say about our society that the thugs running our streets with guns are also willing to take the life of a police officer.

Would they think twice about shooting any of us, would they have a second thought about shooting a mother holding a baby in her arms? It seems as though the answer would be no.

I also have to say that I am troubled by the responses to these shootings also.

I realize that under the previous administration any requests for outside assistance were thought to be seen as a sign of weakness. But how much are we willing to tolerate. I would think that the areas experiencing these troubles would be blanketed with a strong police presence and enforcement of every violation seen.

Hartford has gained a reputation as a criminal free for all zone where everything goes. Shooting mothers in the head and slaughtering them in the street on Franklin Avenue to firing on a police officer with a machine gun after a robbery spree. You would think that a random bullet through another mothers heart killing her instantly as she exited a convenience store would demand a strong response from our city.

Anyone that drives in Hartford has to look no further than our city streets to realize that there is obviously little respect for traffic laws as well as gun laws and that lack of respect shows through in the lack of respect for law enforcement officials also.

If only we had some strong political leadership, especially on the State and Federal level, we could start asking for more help. But how do you ask for help when our state legislative delegation is more concerned about traveling to Paris while Hartford is in critical crisis mode. Or maybe they are too worried about saving their own skins because they are caught up in their hearings regarding their own alleged wrongdoing.

The areas of the City generating these gun crimes should be blanketed with a strong law enforcement presence. Local, State and Federal officers should be working hand in hand to take back our city. It involves relationships with the community also, but I am pretty sure that the law abiding residents of the troubled neighborhoods would welcome the police presence.

I am also sure that some would say that a heavy, no nonsense police presence is a violation of their rights. But what about the rights of people like Altanese Walker who was shot through the heart on Enfield Street and died almost instantly. Didn't she have the right to walk to the corner store and make her purchases without fear of death? What about the right of her four year old son to grow up with a mother to teach and help him become an adult?

The leadership of Hartford should be asking for help from anyone and everyone they can solicit. The Firearms Task Force, the Fugitive Task Force, The Narcotics Task Force and any other task forces currently working in Hartford should at the very least be doubled or tripled to make a stronger impact on crime in our streets.

Every effort needs to be made to get every uniformed body on the streets to patrol our streets. Too many supervisors and "white shirts" sit inside the walls of Jennings Road working Monday through Friday typical daytime hours. These people need to be on the streets overseeing what is happening. When is the last time a Deputy Chief or an Assistant Chief has been assigned to an evening or midnight shift or even a weekend shift?

Another novel idea could be implemented by our Governor. The Connecticut State Police can operate anywhere in the state that they wish, providing that they do not establish regular patrols in a city or town without an agreement. Essentially that means that the State Police could blanket Hartford with traffic enforcement and most likely find more weapons. persons with drugs and wanted persons. This makes a lot more sense than pairing troopers with Hartford Officers.

Hartford Officers know the streets and neighborhoods and who the key players are. Let Hartford Officers do what they are good at and clean up our streets. A strong message needs to be sent, but that starts with our City leaders admitting we have a problem and getting help from every corner possible, including its residents.

The outrage needs to be channeled into results, and not wait until after a police officer or another innocent mother is shot.