WE KNEW IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN

After hob nobbing with the likes of Ricky Martin and Shakira, it was bound to happen. Hartford's Mayor Pedro Segarra has gone Hollywood in the latest version of Gangham Style.

Word is that Segarra now needs police protection when he is out in public due to his superstar status.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

NOLAN LAWSUIT FILED

On Monday , Hartford Fire Department Deputy Chief of Training Dan Nolan returned to his job with the city as a result of a court order after his wrongful termination. Nolan has also filed a lawsuit against the city for damages as a result of his termination.

The lawsuit filing is below, although it is somewhat short on specifics in the suit, I gues that is the way these things work. It should prove to be an interesting trial as witnesses are put under oath and questioned. Among them will most likely be the Hartford Fire Union President Vincent Fusco as he will have to divulge his involvement in the termination and what he did and when.

Tickets should be sold for the questioning of  Former Fire Chief Charles Teale as he states under oath the tale of Springfield Strip clubs and payments he took from an opthamologist to cover penalties for misusing the Hartford Fire Academy for his personal gain. (These things are already on the record from the Labor board hearings). Luckily for Teale the statute of limitations has expired on the payoff.

Somehow I think the City will be scrambling to settle this one for a large amount rather than have more dirty laundry from a corrupt City hall aired in public..

This is a story that still isn't done yet and promises to get even worse before it is done. Stay tuned.

Nolan (1)

THEY TALK THE TALK, NOW THEY NEED TO WALK THE WALK

Change is well underway at HPD. Some of it will be obvious, some will not be that obvious to the general public. One of the most obvious will be the new fleet of police cruisers about to hit Hartford's streets. HPD will be breaking from tradition and starting to take part in a national trend in putting black and white cruisers on Hartford's streets.

The first of the new fleet are arriving and being outfitted now.

Another change will not be quite as obvious. This Friday at 2:00PM at City Hall, Chief Rovella will be promoting 5 individuals to the rank of Deputy Chief. Read more about the promotions here, These promotions will mark the first time in several years that the Command Staff of HPD has actually come close to representing the makeup and diversity of the community they serve.

More encouraging information is also coming out this week that we have a shot, no pun intended, of having the lowest homicide rate in almost thirty years. Although everyone wants to potentially take credit, especially our Mayor and other politicians, the fact of the matter is that the vision of a handful of people are responsible for the crime reductions. Foremost among them is Hartford's new Chief James Rovella and a person who has been instrumental in implementing and carrying out Rovella's vision, Hartford Police Lieutenant Lance Sigersmith, Commander of HPD's Intelligence Division and the Shooting Task Force, Credit needs to go as well to all of the agencies and personnel working hard to clean up our City under "Team Rovella",

Across the board from the beginning of Rovella's tenure, it seems that a new sense of professionalism and motivation  has swept over HPD and I don't mean to belittle any ones efforts by leaving anyone out. Major crimes detectives are clearing more cases through good investigations and taking criminals off the streets, Patrol officers are carrying their weight knowing that there is a new sense of accountability and fairness in discipline when needed.

Things seem to be starting to click as a team and the results seem to be showing, Whether through increased morale or reduced crime stats.the results are obvious. I guess that is what effective leadership does.

What the politicians who are eager to take credit for the results need to keep in mind  is that these results don't happen by chance and without an associated cost. Reduced crime in the Capitol City doesn't come cheap. It involves overtime for staffing, equipment and other supplies and related expenses. In a City that sometimes spends money ridiculously, tough choices are going to be made during the upcoming budget season, one of the areas that should not be cut is Public Safety because under Rovella we are finally getting our money's worth. Compare his results to those of the Board of Education and see where we are getting our money's worth.

The results are obvious.Crime is dropping and people "afraid" of Hartford are sure to take notice if HPD handles the message properly. Both our local leaders and our state leaders need to do their part to make sure their investment is properly protected and properly funded. Chief Rovella's vision isn't cheap, but it is working  and the results are showing

HE IS MAKING A LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE

When I moved back to Hartford years ago. one of the first people I met when I started to get involved in the community was the person in the picture above. Dave Carrier and his wife Val had also moved back to Hartford about the same time to purchase a "perfect six" building that was being renovated into a two family, owner occupied home.

Many of you might recognize Dave who is quite often out in the community a various events without the red hat and coat. The white beard is real though and I am sure it turns the heads of many young children year round as they see "Santa Dave" out in public accompanied by his wife Val, no reindeer though , he usually  saves them for one night a year.

If you are organizing a Christmas event, Dave just might be the perfect addition to set the right spirit.

Santa Dave will be visiting all those in attendance at the Maple Avenue NRZ Holiday meet and greet on December 13, 2012, at 7:00PM. The event starts at 6:00PM at St. Augustine's Church and is open to the public, Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the St. Augustine Food Bank or a health care item to be donated to the South Park Inn's homeless shelter.

If you would like to inquire about Santa Dave's services, check out hartfordsanta.com or http://www.facebook.com/SantaDaveCarrier

NOLAN RETURNS MONDAY

 

 

Hartford Fire Department Deputy Chief of Training Dan Nolan, who was wrongfully terminated by a corrupt mayor, will once again be wearing a Hartford Fire department uniform and badge as of Monday. The City of Hartford is under a court order to return Nolan to his previous rank and status as a result of extensive hearings into his wrongful termination.

Nolan was terminated in 2008 by our felonious Mayor at the time Eddie A. Perez, a move that was carried out by former Fire Chief Charles Teale. Evidence testified to under oath at Nolan's hearing portrayed a less than stellar picture of the former Chief, including his own testimony that he took payoffs from a local opthamologist during a period of controversy when Teale was renting out Hartford Fire Department Training Facilities and collecting the payments personally also..

You can read more about that here

Nolan has now also filed a lawsuit against the City of Hartford for his wrongful termination. In a somewhat unusual move, Nolan is also filing personally against retired Chief Teale for his alleged
"malicious actions". It might just be about time that these Department heads that make these sometimes vindictive or malicious decisions  decisions start to feel it in their own checkbooks, not just at the taxpayers expense.

Numerous decisions involving terminations that have been overturned by the Courts might have started out differently if the powers to be knew that heir own homes or bankbooks could be tapped in these lawsuits. How much did Secore, Murtha and now Nolan cost the taxpayers of Hartford in legal fees , only to be reversed by Judges?

To read transcripts and other documents as to how the Nolan case evolved,just type Nolan in the search box above and you will find numerous stories. It is definitely an interesting story as to how the Union played both sides of the fence initially in complaining to former COO Lee Erdman based upon  an "anonymous" complaint from a non-union member recruit and then claiming that they were supportive of "Brother Nolan".

I guess that is what they call Karma, and in the end, good usually wins out over evil.

Welcome Back Chief Nolan.

I will post the full content of the lawsuit and complaint here Monday

CHIEF ROVELLA ANNOUNCES PROMOTIONS

Hartford's Police Chief James Rovella today announced the promotion of two HPD Captains and three Lieutenants to the rank of Deputy Chief. Rovella will be promoting Captains Joseph Buyak and William Long and Lieutenants Neville Brooks, Luis Rodriguez and Emory Hightower to Deputy Chief. The promotions will take place Friday , November 30, 2012 in a ceremony at 2:00PM at City Hall,

Although the assignments for the new Chiefs have not been announced, unofficially sources are telling me that Captain Buyak will be assigned as  Chief of Patrol,Captain  Long will be Chief of Detectives and Support Services, Lieutenant Rodriguez will be Chief of the South Police Services Area(PSA), Lieutenant Hightower will be Chief of the North PSA and Lieutenant Brooks will be assigned as Chief of the new Central PSA which will cover the downtown area. The Central PSA was eliminated under the neighborhood policing plan implemented under former Chief Harnett.

These promotions also mark the first time in several years that minority members of HPD have been promoted into Command Staff positions

Four police officers will also be promoted to the rank of sergeant during the ceremony.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES

KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE

A lot has been said in the comments the last few days and the harm they face and the necessity for competent, qualified leaders to guide firefighters in their tasks. I think the last thing any of us want to see is a police officer or firefighter injured as they perform their duties to protect us, especially by less than competent supervision. When you have a free moment try to keep them in your thoughts and that they will be kept safe from harm, whatever the cause,

THE FIREFIGHTER'S PRAYER

When I'm called to duty God
wherever flames may rage
give me strength to save a life
whatever be its age

Help me to embrace a little child
before it is too late
or save an older person from
the horror of that fate

Enable me to be alert
to hear the weakest shout
and quickly and efficiently
to put the fire out

I want to fill my calling and
to give the best in me
to guard my neighbor and
protect his property

And if according to your will
I have to lose my life
bless with your protecting hand
my children and my wife.

 

 

PLEASE TAKE THE POLL ABOVE

Please take a moment to click on an answer above and let me know what you think, feel free to add a comment under the original posting, HFD Adds new Deputy Chief

CHURCHES ON MAIN STREET HEALTH FAIR THIS WEEKEND

Churches+on+Main+Street+Health+Fair

SEGARRA PUTS LID ON PUBLIC INFORMATION

Here we go again, in an Administration that talks constantly about transparency, apparently they don't want the media to be part of it.

Mayor Pedro Segarra's Media spokesperson  recently put a lid on City Hall employees answering questions or providing information to any media people or journalists. In an e-mail circulated to City Hall Staff, Segarra's spokesperson  Maribel La Luz  stated "If any journalist e-mails or leaves a voicemail, please let me know before responding,If a journalist gets you on the phone, tell them to contact me directly with their request. We need to be aware of developing stories. Thank you for your cooperation"

In a building that leaks information like a sieve, this may prove to be a difficult task, as well as illegal.Former Mayoral spokesperson Sarah Barr had issued a similar order that all FOI requests and requests for information had to go through her and Corporation Counsel at the time John Rose. I complained to the FOI Commission that filtering information and documents unnecessarily delayed the release of Public Information as required by the FOI Laws.

After a hearing , the Commission agreed with me and determined the policy was illegal and Barr and the City were ordered to stop.

I can understand that Mayor Segarra wants to control his message and the propaganda coming out of City Hall, but what do they have to hide. Everything conducted in that building is Public information and with some people in City Hall with a conscience, the information eventually will get out.

Ms. La Luz might want to take an FOI course to get herself up to speed on the Public's right to know. This is the public's business she is dealing with, not a press release for a Shakira concert.

WILL CHARTER CHANGE HAPPEN?

Hartford currently has the required Charter revision Commission doing its mandatory 10 year review of the City Charter. The Charter requires that it be reviewed every 10 years or sooner if properly requested.

Some of the proposed changes may not be sitting well with Hartford's politicians, Mayor Segarra included.

One of the proposals that has recently surfaced , was apparently endorsed unanimously during a subcommittee meeting of the Charter Revision Commission. The details outlined in an e-mail from John Kennelly to Commission members, obtained under the FOI Act recommends the elimination of the Registrar of Voters Office.

According to the e-mail "All members agreed that this office should be professionalized and de-politicized in accordance with potential changes to state statute. This would include making this an appointed office. This professionalization should include some form of certification for the office holder."

During conversations with several state representatives, it would seem that there would be support for any legislative change required to make this happen. Hartford's registrars of Voters Office is far from the "professional" operation many would like to see.

The majority of the subcommittee also seems to support the return to a fully elected board of education. All members agree that the Mayor should not be allowed to serve on the Board, according to Kennelly's e-mail.

The members also supported the concept of a budgetary line item veto for the Council, the makeup of the present Council as being appropriate,and  4 year terms as opposed to returning to 2 year terms.

Although none of these recommendations are a done deal by any stretch, they potentially will serve as the foundation for any Charter revision recommendations. Any changes to the Charter must be approved by the Council , and eventually by the voters during a referendum.

The Registrar of Voters change seems like the most likely to move forward and the legislature may possibly make the change in conjunction with Secretary of State Denise Merrill before the Charter does.

HPD OFFICER"S FIREARM STOLEN

Today has been a busy day with the police sources. Several phone call have reported that Probationary Hartford Police Officer Luis Feliciano, the subject of a recent posting on the blog, has now reported to the Springfield police department that his firearm issued to him by the City of Hartford has been stolen. Feliciano apparently reported to Springfield PD that the weapon was stolen during a burglary of his home.

This raises more questions as to how Officer Feliciano has secured his weapon, as is apparently required under the Departments Code of Conduct.  This will most likely not rest well with Chief Rovella and others who are working hard to get illegal guns off the street , not to add more.It would appear that the weapon was not secured in a gun safe or other means to prevent its theft.

A request for comment on the theft was made to HPD but no comment is available at this time.

UPDATE 4:11PM- HPD Spokeperson Nancy Mulroy confirmed the theft of Feliciano's firearm and that the Springfield police were investigating the burglary of Feliciano's home.

Here is the original posting regarding Officer Feliciano

LOBSTERGATE: THE FINAL CHAPTER...HOPEFULLY

Hartford Police sources are confirming what is most likely the final chapter in the alleged lobster larceny case of Officer Natoya Guthrie. Sources are confirming that Hartford police Chief James Rovella has accepted the resignation of Officer Guthrie from the Hartford police department earlier today. Guthrie was seen at the Hartford Police Department earlier this afternoon turning in her city issued uniforms and equipment.

 

former Officer Natoya Guthrie

 

 

This appears to be the final chapter in what has been referred to as "lobstergate" by commenter's here on the blog. Guthrie was under investigation for the alleged thefts of lobster and other seafood from the self checkout line at the Stop and Shop store on New Park Avenue in Hartford.

You can read the original posting here

Apparently there were videos detailing more than one instance of the alleged thefts that could have resulted in Guthrie's arrest on larceny charges if pursued. As soon as I obtain those videos, they will be posted here.

HARTFORD FIRE DEPARTMENT CREATES NEW DEPUTY CHIEF POSITION...FOR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERS'S HUSBAND

Although no press releases or fanfare or promotion ceremonies have been obvious, a new Deputy Chief position has quietly been created in the Hartford Fire Department for the husband of Hartford's acting Chief Operating Officer Sandra Key Borges. The position was filled by her husband Terry Waller. Waller previously held the position of Captain with HFD according to Fire Department sources.

The position apparently is being used to cover for another Deputy Chief who sustained a paralyzing injury and is out on long term medical leave. The injured Chief's absence, from what I am told, had incurred no additional costs to cover his shifts since Captains are eligible to cover for Deputy Chief's at regular pay rather than overtime pay.

The timing of the position is interesting for a couple reasons. First is that recently Mayor Segarra has ordered lay-offs and furlough days for City employees because of budget payroll shortages. The furlough days included command positions in both the Fire and Police Departments.

More importantly is the court order hanging over the Fire Department to re-instate Deputy Chief Dan Nolan to his previous position of Deputy Chief after his wrongful termination by Mayor Eddie Perez and the City of Hartford.  Nolan , a respected Army veteran is currently finishing his military commitment after spending over a year serving in Afghanistan.

Nolan is expected to notify the City of his intent to return to work anytime between now and February 12, 2013. If I know Dan, it will be sooner than later as I am sure that he is anxious to get back to the career that he loves and was forced out of by a corrupt Mayor.

It should be interesting to see where the money is coming from for these positions

A BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Saturday November 10th was the birthday of the United States Marine Corps and downtown Hartford played host to several hundred Marines attending the Marine Corp Ball at the Hartford Hilton.

From Wikipedia, The history of the United States Marine Corps began with the founding of the Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces. Its mission evolved with changing military doctrine and foreign policy of the United States. Owing to the availability of Marine forces at sea, the United States Marine Corps has served in nearly every conflict in United States history.

 It attained prominence when its theories and practice of amphibious warfare proved prescient, and ultimately formed a cornerstone of the Pacific Theater of World War II. By the early 20th century, the Marine Corps would become one of the dominant theorists and practitioners of amphibious warfare. Its ability to rapidly respond on short notice to expeditionary crises has made and continues to make it an important tool for American foreign policy.

The Marine Corp is an organization rich in tradition and pride and their birthday is celebrated annually with huge fanfare by Marines. I am proud to say that my father was a Marine and I currently have a nephew serving in the Marine Corp on active duty. I can't call my father a former Marine, even though he has passed away, because he made it clear to us "once a Marine, always a Marine" and he made that clear by flying the Marine Corp flag at his home, a tradition that my mother still holds today as she makes sure the red Marine Corp flag is flying in front of her house.

It was an impressive sight to see hundreds of marines downtown last night in their "dress blues" and it was also impressive to see the number of people going up to them and saying "thank you" for their service.

The Hartford Courant also had a great story today about the scrifices some of these young men and women have made for our country, you can read that story here.

As a sidenote, no Lieutenant's were harmed in the celebration of this event

HARTFORD UNOFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS

Hartford Unofficial Election results

HPD's NEW WELLNESS PROGRAM?

Let me start this posting by saying we have a great Police Department in Hartford led by a great Chief who is going to take the Hartford Police Department to new heights .A few hundred very professional men and women make up that department and serve our City well every day. But as in any organization, there are a few people that you just have to shake your head and say "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

The latest is the story of Sergeant Troy Gordon, a street supervisor of Patrol Officers on the midnight shift. Recently Sgt. Gordon apparently felt the need to discipline a female officer on his shift after she called in that she was signing off at an area to conduct  a "directed patrol" or what HPD calls a 10-59 in their radio codes. From what I am told Gordon went to the location she called in and the Officer wasn't there. Now whether she had already left and forgot to clear the call with the dispatcher or signed off at the wrong location is not clear.

But regardless, when Gordon didn't find her where she signed off, he called her by radio to meet him in another parking lot. Gordon also called other patrol units to meet him in the lot. When the female officer arrived he instructed her to  get out of her cruiser and he ordered her to run circles around her car in front of her fellow officers. From what I am told he made her run circles for the next twenty three minutes during which she fell a few times , to her embarrassment in front of her peers.

To further compound his actions, from what sources are telling me, Gordon was questioned over the radio on a recorded channel by his Lieutenant as to why he was calling for the patrol cars to meet him at the lot. Gordon apparently lied to his immediate supervisor and told the Lieutenant that he was getting officers together to go search for a shotgun used in a robbery rather than tell him he was amassing the units that should be out patrolling the north end of Hartford to witness his alleged abuse of another officer.

This one should call into question Sergeant Gordon's fitness to supervise officer's as well as his common sense and judgement. This sounds more like a fraternity house hazing than it does the actions of a highly paid supervisor of the Hartford Police Department.

These are the tests of Chief Rovella that he will need to act fairly, but quickly on. The tone for Rovella's Administration need to be made quickly and let his supervisors know what he expects from them and what is acceptable. I am pretty confident that others will make different choices and fall in line with Rovellas expectations if they know that they will be held accountable for their actions and judgement.

 It might come down to some tough love, but that has been lacking for far too long at HPD.  Much of the similar behaviors has resulted in large legal settlements or pending lawsuits for the taxpayers of Hartford, and in the end there are several issues in this matter that will most likely lead to large payouts once again, which I won't go into here.

The cardio workout probably isn't a bad thing, but the HPD gym is the place for that ,not a parking lot off Main Street

LOBSTERGATE UPDATE

Last August I posted about a Hartford Police Officer who was being accused of stealing lobster from the Stop and Shop store on New Park Avenue.You can read that posting here.

That posting received the most comments ever on the blog and strong feelings were posted about the officers fitness to be a Police Officer based upon her judgement and choices she made. It also evolved to name calling that it was a racial issue.  I'm not sure what race had to do with it, since right is right and wrong is wrong . The only color that should have come into it was orange, when she dropped the larceny lobsters into the boiling water.

Sources are telling me that this latest Chapter in HPD scandals may be coming to a close soon.This will come as a relief to many officers who have repeatedly called me asking why she was still allowed to work the streets in a cruiser, covering the District area that the Stop and Shop is in none the less. I guess it is that old saying, innocent until proven guilty.

From what I have have been told, the guilt is about to be proven and the Officer continues to find herself in hot water. For anyone not aware, Stop and Shop has extensive video surveillance and anytime you make a purchase using you Stop and Shop card the purchase can be tracked and is recorded, so if you are scamming your purchases at the self checkout line , consider yourself forewarned.

Also, once those videos are obtained and used as part of a Police investigation they become "public Documents" as detailed under the Connecticut Freedom of Information laws. Now start reading between the lines here and make your own conclusions as to where this is going.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, any blogger could request those videos to post  for the public to view. There is an exemption under the FOI laws that might actually prevent the release of those videos if they are part of an investigation that may result in criminal charges. If the videos could be used to prosecute the criminal case, that would prevent their release until an arrest was made. Until an arrest was made that would mean that they would not appear on a blog as public documents.

If there was no arrest, no criminal prosecution and the matter was handled administratively, that would mean the videos would then become public documents and they would be posted here. Hopefully that determination will be coming soon

URANIA WINS

The line of voters waiting at City Hall to vote, at this point the line wound through the atrium of City hall down the front stairs and out the back door of City hall, many of them sent their because the local polling places didn't know how to handle their requests for ballots

 

Four years ago, Urania Petit and the Working Families Party made history in Connecticut when Petit became the first third party registrar of voters elected on her own.Many have criticized the money spent for the third registrar, but the fact is the matter is that Urania is really the only one we are getting our money's worth from..

In a quote from the upset republican Registrar, he said that Petit's salary could fund elections in Hartford. The same could be said for Bramante and his salary. Ask Bramante how many voters he has registered in the last four years, Urania has registered over 10,000.

Yesterdays election operations clearly show how incompetent the Registrar's office is, and this is where I would agree with Bramante, we need better results for the money that is spent in that Office. It is probably the most incompetent operation at City Hall, and that is saying a lot when you look at City government operations. The office is ripe with political cronyism and money spent in a wasteful manner.

  Petit is the only Registrar that came up with budget saving ideas and ways to implement them for the last fiscal year. Unfortunately the Democratic and republican Registrar treat Petit as an outsider , and even though the Council responded to Petit's suggestions, Bramante and Vazquez, the Democratic registrar were financially reckless and proceeded to overspend their budget allocation by a couple hundred thousand dollars this year.

If Bramante wants to point the finger at expenditures, lets look at the Deputy Registrars. Each registrar has a Deputy Registrar they hand pick at a salary of $55,000 dollars a year. The Democratic Deputy, also serves as Clerk of the Senate at the legislature and still collects his full salary from the City, even when he is working full time at the Capitol while the legislature is in session. It would seem that if we can do without the clerk for months at a time, that might not be a position that needs to be filled in the Registrars Office, at least not on a full time basis.

I will be writing more over the next few days about the voting horror stories related to me by disenfranchised voters from Tuesdays election, including the voter who was told she couldn't vote because she was dead, the voter who was told that she couldn't vote because the records showed she had already voted by absentee ballot, even though she hadn't or the voter that was told she couldn't vote because she wasn't on the list, even though she was and the poll worker checking the lists apparently couldn't read.

Jeff Cohen at WNPR has more on the story, you can read it here