As predicted here a couple months ago,on November 28th to be exact, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra today named James Rovella as Hartford's acting Police Chief. You can read the November posting here predicting Rovella's appointment.
As an almost 20 year veteran of HPD before his retirement, Rovella is very familiar with the operations of the HPD. He has spent the last several months in his capacity as Chief Inspector for the State's Attorney's Office setting up and running the Hartford Shooting Task Force along side Hartford Police Lieutenant Lance Sigersmith.
The task force has produced very noticeable results in reducing violent crime after 2011 started out with the potential to end as a record year for gun violence. The task force became operational in July of 2011.
If Chief Rovella's actions in producing results with the Task Force are any indication, it may be a very promising period for HPD under his guidance.
Another posting on Rovella's appointment can be read here.Double click the video below to view it full screen
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10 comments:
Leadership has finally come. Let's put DKR behind us and move in a direction of improvement for a better of the citizens of Hartford.
what will we do with capt. bernier. i hope we are going to have a lot of change in the command staff to show real change. if staff is not changed it will be business as always. a leader is only as good as the people who work under him. when command staff takes a hit, then you can see change.
Mr Rovello from my experience when he was in the HTFD PD was very positive. I remember that he investigated the big cases in a very professional manner.
The days of wearing shoulder holsters and three hour lunches is going to end with our new Chief.
Let me get this right... His experience as "Chief Inspector" qualifies him to be "Police Chief" He retired 11 years ago as a Homicide Detective. Let's see, that is an advancement of ONE rank. Most of the homicides the "Shooting Task Force" is investigating occured under his watch... What administrative, management and/or supervisory experience does he have. That BS about "Chief Inspector" for the Chief State's Attorney's Office does NOT qualify him. Is Rovella even certified by P.O.S.T. as a police officer? I have seen many a political appointment before, but this one is by far the most obvious and dangerous. Mr. Mayor, the position of Chief of Police is not the same as naming someone your aide. Please do not compromise the city of department even further than it has been compromised in the past. One last thought.... How in the heck is he gonna be Police Chief, Chief Inspector, Aide to Mayor, Head of the Shooting Team" all at the same time. Talk about an "ego" WOW!!!!!!!!
Where to begin on the previous comment? First off, let me address the "ego" comment. I only recently met Chief Rovella and had to be introduced to him because I had no idea who the guy was. I think that speaks to his ego right there. He seems like a "behind the scenes" type guy who is more than happy to do his job and receives satisfaction from seeing the results rather than being plastered all over the six o'clock news singing his own praises and taking credit for the reduced gun violence. You can't argue with the fact that a noticeable difference has taken place in the last 8 months and a strong message has been sent to the street thugs who were previously using our streets as their shooting range playground. Is there still gun violence occurring ? Sure, but I think it would be a lot worse with out the work of the Task force.
As far as experience, that's another bogus claim by those unhappy with Rovella's promotion. Much of that is from those that thought they were entitled to the position for no other reason than they already had stars on their collars. The POST certification is also nonsense perpetuated by the "good old boy's" club , again of those Chief's from outside of Hartford who want to protect their turf and keep the Chief's jobs for their own crew who faithfully pay their dues to the Police Chief's Association.
Chief Rovella could probably teach the majority of those classes that POST may actually say he needs to be certified in. That is a matter for the Legislature to correct as the certification issue seems to be a glitch in the law. Inspectors are fully sworn law enforcement officers with statewide powers of arrest and authorized to carry a firearm. Keep in mind that State Troopers also aren't POST certified, would that exclude a Colonel from the State Police from applying to be Chief?
Hartford has a history of uncertified Chief's who had far less experience with Connecticut's Criminal Justice system than Chief Rovella. Do the names Marquis, Harnett, Rosensweig ring a bell? And what about Chief Esserman in New Haven, he isn't POST certified either, he came from out of state. Has the issue been raised with him?
And from your tone, I'm not sure if you might be one of those with stars on your collar already who felt entitled to the position, but look at the current Command Staff and ask yourself how they got where they are and what was their strong points as leaders? It might just be a very short list of accomplishments if you are honest about it. I'm not sure exactly how many Inspector's Chief Rovella supervised daily, but I can almost assure you that the number is far more individuals than any of the current Command staff can claim to have supervised prior to their ascension to the right hand of DKR.
Good try though, I guess it goes with the territory. I am comfortable that if Chief Rovella does as well with the entire PD as he has done in 7 or 8 months with the Shooting Task Force, Mayor Segarra might just have a solid win on this one.
And finally, if the makeup of the Shooting Task Force members is any indication, Chief Rovella already has a strong grasp of the number one rule in management. You are only as good as the people you surround yourself with, and Rovella has hand picked not only some good people, but some great people that support him and make his efforts shine everyday. Hopefully he will bring that same mindset to the Chief's Complex, something that has been sorely lacking there
Well Kevin, It seems that you are more biased on this issue then I thought. First of all, it was not a promotion, it was an "appointment." I do however agree with the P.O.S.T argument. I don't think they should be the "say all, end all."
Those people with "stars on thier collars," earned their way up through the ranks. This guys has not. He is the one who feels he has a sense of entitlement for the position. Your bias blinds you Kevin. As for the people on the shooting team, did Rovella really hand pick those guys???? I wonder.... Also, ask them how often he is even around that operation. The answer:: Vey Little.. He is spending to much of his time on a self proclamation tour. Listen, Kevin, it is what it is.... I hope he does a wonderful job... It is not about any one person, it's about getting our city and its reputation back to a reputable era..... I wish him well, qualified or not... As always, time will tell all.
I don't think I am biased, I have no reason to be and I don't even know the guy except for the one time we met. I do have much respect for people that have described Rovella's work ethic and have told me how he operates, so I trust their judgement. He typically is the first one in the office from what I am told and doesn't leave much before 7 or 8PM.
I also have high regard for him as a cancer survivor since I went through that with my father and saw first hand that someone's perspective on life and what is important is tested and I think it makes you a much more humble person. Also the fact that the Rovella family is caring for Chief Rovella's father, who now lives in their home with them says a lot about one's character and the importance of family values and putting others first.
I seriously hope I am not misjudging the situation because this is a huge opportunity to restore HPD to what it once was years ago and for Hartford to survive and thrive, HPD plays a major role in that. I hope that revival is on the horizon.
@ 12:10
Since when do credentials and training make a good Chief? Sure they might help someone who already has a brain but you could send some of our past Chiefs to all the training in the word and in the end they would still morons.
I could care less if our new Chief had a GED. Almost anyone can get a college degree or knock out state courses but not everyone has the emotional maturity and personality to be a real leader. Integrity, honesty, fairness, respect, and enough sense to surround himself with good people are just a few. Also he's not part of the drinking club on the second floor. Being an "outsider" yet still having a solid working knowledge of HPD is one of the most promising things he offers us and the city.
If your comment that our new Chief "only" moved up one position from patrol is your criteria for competence I suggest you take a look at some of the leadership we have now. There's many reason's people don't move up in positions at any job and often it has nothing to do with ability.
The last comment comes from a ''good ole boy'' club member or a ''hukamaniac''. Either way the days of the buddy system and drinking pals is over. I cant wait to see what is done with off duty car crashes on route 2 and shoulder holsters now that we have a real chief.
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