IT'S NOT ONLY HARTFORD...

Apparently Hartford doesn't have a lock on alleged criminal activity by Government officials.

According to police sources, Department of Public Utility Control Commissioner Amalia Bzdyra was arrested yesterday for shoplifting clothing and jewelry at Lord and Taylor at Westfarms Mall. The arrest was confirmed through arrest logs provided by the Farmington Police Department.

Commissioner Bzdyra was appointed to the DPUC by Governor Rell on December 16, 2008. Prior to that appointment Bzdyra had served as a Deputy Commissioner at the Department of Social Services.

Here is Commissioner Bzdyra's Bio from the DPUC website:

Amalia Vazquez Bzdyra was appointed Commissioner of the Connecticut Public Utility Control Authority by Governor Rell on December 16, 2008 and confirmed by both houses of the General Assembly in February 2009. As commissioner, she will focus on natural gas and electric issues, taking the lead on natural gas issues for the Department. Commissioner Bzdyra will serve on the National Association Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Committees on Gas. Commissioner Bzdyra is also the Co-Chair of Connecticut’s Low-Income Advisory Board (LIEAB) and a member of Connecticut’s Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission.

Commissioner Bzdyra has extensive public and private sector experience and has served in all three branches of Connecticut government. From February of 2007 to January 2009, she served as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Social Services. In 2005, Bzdyra, an attorney with over 20 years of experience, was appointed by Governor Rell as Chairperson of the new Contracting Standards Board. The Board was created by Executive Order to craft standards for awarding state contracts and removing political connections and considerations from the process. In 2004, she was appointed by Governor Rell to the Governor’s Task Force on Contracting Reform, which was charged with reviewing and recommending improvements in the procedures used by the state of Connecticut to purchase goods and services.

From 1998 to 2004, Bzdyra served as Chairperson of the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO). From 2000 to 2004, she was Vice President of Government Relations for the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA). As Vice President at CHA, she developed health care policy initiatives to improve Connecticut’s system of health care and collaborated with state agencies to develop and implement legislative and executive branch policies, procedures and legislative enactments affecting all 31 hospitals statewide.

From 1993 to 2000, Bzdyra was Director of Legal, Legislative and Policy Affairs for the state’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM) from 1993 to 2000. In that post, she advised the Secretary of OPM and the Office of the Governor on state policy, legal and budgetary matters. Commissioner Bzdyra also served as Chief Legal Counsel to the state agency and supervised OPM’s legal staff. She was also Legislative Counsel to the Chief Court Administrator from 1990 to 1993.

Commissioner Bzdyra was born in Havana, Cuba and possesses native fluency in Spanish. She received a Juris Doctor degree from Western New England College School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Southern Connecticut State University.

HOMEOWNER CONFRONTS BURGLAR AT GUNPOINT

A homeowner interrupted a burglary this afternoon at 398 Franklin Avenue and held the burglar at gunpoint until police arrived. The homeowner was in the home when he heard an alarm go off and when he went to check it out he found the burglar inside the building near the back door.

Hartford Police Officer Teddy Sposito, the CSO for the Area, responded almost immediately and arrested the suspect.

I guess this burglar picked the wrong building to burglarize.

BUILDING CONDEMNED, NUMEROUS RESIDENTS DISPLACED

A multifamily building at 387 Capitol Avenue was condemned today by the City of Hartford as unfit for occupancy.Apparently the property has been the subject of numerous code violations recently.

The property appears to be owned by a Christopher Whilby of Canton. City sources have confirmed that at least 23 city residents, 9 of them children, have been displaced from their homes. The Tax Collectors website shows delinquent tax bills for the last couple of years still unpaid.

The property is being overseen by Hartford Police officers at this time and preventing residents from re-entering the building to retrieve any items.

At the time that I visited the property not a councilperson was in sight, maybe they should focus on situations like this rather than national issues. The photo above shows people, including children, sitting on the porch with no idea where they will be sleeping tonight.

CITIZEN'S ELECTION FUND FILINGS COMPLETED....EXCEPT FOR MORALES

The mandated filings for the recent primary campaigns for Hartford races have all been submitted on time,the deadline was 9/10/10, except for one. The treasurer for the Morales for State Representative campaign apparently has not filed the reports according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

To view the filings that have been submitted, click here SEEC e-CRIS search

Several questions have arisen regarding the spending of funds by the Morales campaign, including the rental car he was still driving and apparently rented by his campaign, well after the August 10th primary when a police complaint was made against him on August 26th.Morales was also apparently driving with a suspended license which is an entirely different issue. Hopefully the reports will be submitted soon for the public's review.

The reports do show some interesting payouts for "consultants", be sure to check out the Southend races and the Lamont Campaign to see who's making out on the election season.

IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE A PROBLEM AT HPD?

A large number of the calls that Hartford Police Officers respond to day in and day out are domestic violence related. These calls definitely have to place pressure on the officers that respond to the calls and diffuse the situations.

Since police officers are human also and they don't have a switch to turn off their feelings once they leave work, it seems to be taking its toll on Hartford's officers.

In the past month at least three Hartford Police officers have been arrested on domestic violence charges resulting from incidents in their private lives while off duty. Officer Chris White was arrested last month after an altercation with his ex-wife and another male that White found in their home.

This past week Officer Austin and Officer Elbe were both arrested for domestic violence related incidents. According to police sources, Austin was arrested immediately after a domestic incident and Elbe was arrested by warrant after his incident.

I would think this would indicate the need for a better way to identify officer's who may be under pressure and address these issues before they become problematic.