It looks like Mayor Segarra has possibly opened Pandora's box with the Rudewicz Report, so the next question is, what now?
Can the fact that former Assistant Chief Neil Dryfe removed IAD files from the Department just "go away"? Does Mayor Segarra intend to pursue this for the integrity of the Department or will it just be swept under the political carpet with all of the other dirt? How can the public possibly have confidence in IAD knowing that all you have to do is get an Assistant Chief to remove your case file and the investigation goes away?
Will the State's Attorney begin an investigation into why and how this happened, or is it more of the good old boy network taking care of their own? Who was the subject of the investigations Dryfe removed and what were the allegations?
And Mayor, now that the end goal has been achieved of Chief Roberts retirement, where do you go from here. Are you going to reward any members of the current Command staff for essentially undermining the Department and Chief Roberts and being part of the overall implosion of the Chief's Office? Or will you look at those who have actually consistently stepped up and done the right things?
Mayor, just read a couple of Lt. Tedeschi's memo's while he was the Department Advocate. That should tell you all you need to know about his integrity. That should also tell you why he is no longer the Advocate. He spoke out on what was ethical and right, even when it wasn't popular.
Mayor, look at Lt. Sigersmith. If the Command Staff had listened to him when he suggested some shooting initiatives last winter, it wouldn't have taken the Governor to start the Shooting Task Force. And as you are well aware, the Shooting Task Force is making you look pretty good right now to just about everyone. Lt. Sigersmith is overseeing that operation and is more than competent.I was impressed one night when I was talking to Lt Sigersmith and we were standing in the North Meadows, he looked at the downtown skyline and stated what a beautiful City Hartford was and it had so much potential. Not a bad mindset for someone to run the Department.
The list can go on, Lt. Rodriguez seems to have been able to stay under the radar, but he is also more than capable to be part of the Command staff. Just read the comments here and you should be well aware that the rank and file have great respect for Captain Buyak. Put Captain Buyak on the Command staff overseeing the Patrol Division and I am pretty sure you would see that part of HPD excel and produce even more results than they already do.
And not surprisingly, I don't think you have seen any of their names mentioned as part of the Rudewicz Report or attached to any scandals or improper behavior.
Unfortunately, none of the names I mentioned above are a** kissers, so if that's the direction you want to go, ignore the above three paragraphs. I could offer you the names of others that would more than fit that bill, but I think it might be time to take your (and our) Police Department seriously. If you want to turn around the environment at Jennings Road, these might be the people to do it.
I'll believe the Rudewicz Report was worthwhile and not just a political sham for you when I see you step up and make the tough decisions and do what you know you have an obligation to do as Mayor, and let's see if the Jello Council steps up also.
If you listen to radio host Brad Davis' radio show in the morning you would think that Mayor Segarra is the greatest thing to hit Hartford since white bread.
ReplyDeleteUndeniably, Mr. Segarra is good for Hartford...I mean, look who he replaced - even Ken Krayeske would seem like a God-send.
Davis' latest applause is reserved for the Mayor's Shooting Task Force, and rightfully so. As I understand it, this initiative has been very successful.
However, just as crimes need to be solved, so too do they need to be prevented. This initiative does little in that respect than other measures would do.
Following your thoughts on choosing a new HPD Chief, the candidate ought to be one that would lead the HPD in a direction of crime prevention.
As Democratic mayoral candidate Ed Vargas told Brad Davis during an on-air interview, the direction should be one of "tough love," like the Rudy Guiliani way in New York.
Coupling the fact that the majority of the shootings in this city take place while the perp is in a vehicle, and the fact that traffic anarchy reigns supreme in this city's neighborhoods, we need a PD that will direct its authority to stopping and ticketing the wheeling anarchists and killers/drug dealers-to be.
Whether it be for running a red light (running a yellow light is also illegal in CT.), a stop sign, illegal parking, or using the south end of Broad Street for a quarter mile track, directing police attention to these people would naturally result in many guns and drugs being seized and taken off city streets (these people are not too bright, they like to keep these things in the open).
Further more, a Mayor preaching the "quality of life" angle, could do a lot for that cause by making sure his citizens are not only safe from being shot, but also that they are safe from being run over by some punk with no respect for himself let alone the little rules that civil people live by.
In this regard the Mayor would lean toward a Chief that believes in Giuliani's and Vargas' "tough love" policy.
Often times you need to sweat the small stuff.
All valid points except for one, it is not the "Mayor's shooting task force" it is Governor Malloy's shooting task force, brought about and implemented by Kevin Kane. Segarra may want to take credit for it, but it was more a situation of "get with the program or get out of our way, we are doing this", the only choice he had was to embrace the taskforce, but it was definitely not brought about by his ideas or any leadership on his part
ReplyDeletedidn't Brad Davis also blindly support Eddie Perez ?
ReplyDeleteI guess at his age you can forgive his memory lapses
Wbrukie..
ReplyDeleteMany would argue that Segarra is worse then Eddie,just with a more affable personality.His campaign staff had at least one felon on it and around Perez in his inner circle are some others and very corrupt/immoral and unethical people.
Also incorrect is that the shooting task force does not prevent crime. Locking up shooters prevents future crime. And the Task Force has done many pro active arrests and details, and has seized many many illegal guns. Just to inform..........
ReplyDeleteWhat does it say when Sgt. Mertes is a more popular topic than the report that leaves a lot of unanswered question, such as the topic of this post, what's next. So how DKR reversed his decision on the advocates position which proves that they read and pay attention to this bolg.
ReplyDeleteAll of the above names are Fallonites.... Trained by a true leader, they're now ready to run the department and bring Hartford back to what it once was. Do what's right Mayor Segarra.
ReplyDeleteI guess the answer to your question is, NOTHING!
ReplyDelete