THE IRONY OF IT ALL

Yesterday at 4:06 PM I posted my thoughts on the jumping Segarra and his lack of leadership by refusing media requests for interviews regarding Hartford's recent shootings and homicides.

I was somewhat surprised when less than a half hour later, Mayor Segarra was in the car headed to the Public Safety Complex to grant an interview to Channel 3's Len Besthoff.

What changed mayor between 4:05 PM and 4:35PM, maybe a blog post?

I do have to say though , it is good seeing the Mayor getting his exercise, the caviar and rich foods could take its toll quick. Jump Pedro Jump.

The original posting is here.

VIGILS FOR THE LIVING

After every homicide, Rev. Henry Brown conducts a vigil to console the families of the homicide victims.  I support Henry and he definitely serves a purpose.

I think it is time we start holding vigils for the living. Our elected officials in Hartford need to be held accountable. I am calling for vigils on the front lawns of our elected officials ,Council President Shawn Wooden, Councilman Ken Kennedy, the chair of Public Safety on the Council, Councilman Kyle Anderson.


It is time to start drawing attention to Hartford's problems and make sure our elected officials are answering our questions. Showing up on their front lawns in their home turf might just make a difference as well as make them aware that accountability is coming. If they won't go to the homicide scenes and face the tough questions , we will come to them.

Please let me know your thoughts and if you would be willing to be involved.

Let's stop reacting and become proactive with our elected officials

LINNMORE STREET SHOOTING AUDIO RECORDINGS

The recordings below are the dispatch tapes from the Hartford Department of Emergency Services Dispatch Center regarding the shots fired call at 321 Linnmore Street in Hartford Monday night. Subsequently , after officers missed locating the body on Monday night, the second recordings are of the calls notifying dispatchers of the dead body in their yard.

 

Now I know that answering these phone calls and trying to pull information out of frantic callers is difficult, but is hanging up on the caller before you even obtain a correct address for a shooting the correct action? Listen to the original call and when the resident is reluctant to giver her name, the dispatcher hangs up on her. Also note that all the dispatcher had at that point was Linnmore Street, no specific address, nothing.

 

How do you not keep the caller on the line and gather as much information as possible, even an intersection or cross street to narrow it down. "OK,Bye"is not a suitable response. But I guess it was just a shooting .

 

AND MORE VENTING WHILE I AM AT IT

I am fed up with police resources being stripped from my neighborhood, and other neighborhoods in the City to cover problem bars. I am fed up with the police coverage that is supposed to be assigned to my area being stripped to fill holes in other areas of the City.

Am I , as well as my neighbors, any less entitled to proper police coverage because other areas of the City don't know how to act properly.

Asylum Hill, my neighborhood, is pretty much a relatively quiet area crime wise.  It does not happen just because of luck or good geographic's. It happens because we have the Asylum Hill walk beat as well as some good supervision in the area. The two Central District Lieutenants operate out of an office a half block away from me. They are accessible and approachable, not just for me but members of the community as well.

The major portion of the stability though is the tone set by the walk beat officer, who is actually on a bike. Loiterers know not to hang on the corners, Hartford High students know better than to loiter on Farmington Avenue when they are skipping class. And people going to the cell phone store to fence stolen items have learned that an officer on the bike is following their activity.

It is called quality of life enforcement, the things that destroy neighborhoods

My walk beat has not been on his walk beat all week. Monday he was pulled to fill a vacant cruiser, Car 30. Tuesday he was pulled to guard a prisoner at Hartford Hospital. Today he was pulled to fill in at Tele-serve, the front desk at HPD.

And trust me , the word spreads quick when he is not here, you can notice the difference. Should me and my neighbors have to deal with the instability caused because the City Councils commitment to us as residents seems not to be there. Lets start not filling the west end cruisers around the Council members home and see what the response is.

My walk beat officer also covers one of the City's latest hell holes of crime, South Marshall Street, home to one of our latest homicide victims who was stuffed in a bag and dumped in Suffield, numerous gun arrests including a sawed off shotgun, and a real hotbed for drug dealing.

Now I am being told our "Condition Units", which were sold to the neighborhoods as teams of Officers that would be focused on quality of life issues, are being permanently assigned to the Central Bar district every Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday night now. The North District Conditions Units are being assigned to North Main Street bars and clubs every Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday now also.

I guess that means that quality of life issues in the rest of the neighborhoods are only important one day a week.

It is wrong, the nuisances and problem locations need to be forced to be a part of the solution, instead of draining resources from the rest of the City. Many areas, such as my neighborhood have worked hard to reduce crime and build relationships with our officers to have  safe streets. To risk that by shuffling them around is wrong

And while I am at it, I am usually very supportive of our Police Officers. I am growing increasingly troubled by those officers that are more focused on the "PJ's" or private duty jobs. There are numerous officers in competition to see who will hit $150,000 first for the year rather than focusing on their primary commitment to Public Safety in Hartford.

I want to know that Officer's are focused on their job 100% when they are in my neighborhood. I want to know that Officers are paying attention and not missing dead bodies shot in some one's yard because they are too lazy to get out of their car on a shooting call because they have already worked 5 or 6 PJ's for the week already.

I am not sure anyone could give their full effort to any employer after standing in the sun and 90 degree temperatures several days a week at a road ,job, and the Linnmore Street homicide and not seeing a dead body laying in a side yard is the perfect example.

Start the comments rolling, but there is no way to defend any of this other than to properly staff and fund the PD. Hartford will never turn around with headlines like we have seen this week.

IT IS OFFICIAL, SEGARRA ADMINISTRATION IS A JOKE

Five shootings have taken place in the last three days in Hartford. Three of those shootings resulted in homicides.

Mayor Segarra's response , a press release and jumping jacks on the lawn of the Old Statehouse. Does he not understand leadership and the responsibilities that go along with that obligation to the people of Hartford?

A press release crafted by a secretary with the usual quotes "one shooting is too many" is hardly leader quality. Being unavailable for the media is even more cowardly. Mayor , you are the leader of this City, now tell us what you plan to do to deal with this violence. And not to be crude, but save the usual crap, we are tired of it.

And if that relationship with Governor Malloy is so wonderful, as you claim, why isn't the Shooting Task Force being revitalized? If you are really paying attention, I am sure you are aware that the one initiative that actually had a huge impact on gun violence last year has been decimated and is less than half of what it was last year.

I guess that is the Hartford way though, things that really work, we find a way to destroy

And I don't intend to leave the City Council out of this rant . Isn't it interesting how no one answers their phones when they know the tough questions are coming from the media. Those that spearheaded the budget  cuts for HPD and are more than willing to go on camera to chase the low hanging fruit now won't pick up the phone to explain if reducing HPD spending for overtime was the brightest move.

Leadership isn't easy, but it might be nice to experience it for a change. At all of the recent shootings, the only politician I saw stop and speak to residents  has been 7th District State Rep. Doug McCrory at Harrison Place. Where are all the Council members, still burying their heads in the sand? Or maybe just ashamed to face the questions and accept responsibility for their budget actions.

In the meantime Pedro, keep jumping, it is making a huge difference in improving our City

Here is Segarra's "Official" Statement:

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR PEDRO E. SEGARRA AND HARTFORD POLICE CHIEF JAMES C. ROVELLA

 

--- NEWS AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT---

 

(August 15, 2013) In response to the recent increase in shootings and homicides Mayor Segarra and Police Chief Rovella met this morning and released the following statement:

“The recent shootings have been tragic for the families and for our entire community.   One shooting is one too many.   The Hartford Police Department will immediately deploy additional officers in our neighborhoods and that presence will continue for the foreseeable future. The safety of our residents is our number one priority. We are working with our community partners and will use every single resource necessary to keep our neighborhoods safe.”

###

 

VICTIM IDENTITIES FROM HPD

FROM HPD:

Please excuse the delay in victim release. MCD extremely busy. Thank you

 

14. CASE # 13-28335        VICTIM: Valentine Santos (H/M) 21    Occurred: 08/13/13              ACCUSED: (0701 hrs)   LOCATION:  321 Linnmoore Street

Time and Date of Death:  08/13/13;           0714 hours                       

(Gun)    (Open)

 

15. CASE # 13-28576        VICTIM: Steven Riley (B/M) 26   Occurred: 08/14/13 (1701 hrs)    LOCATION:  21 Harrison Place

Time and Date of Death:  08/14/13;           1720 hours                       

(Gun)    (Open)

 

16. CASE # 13-28615        VICTIM: Jerome Copeland (B/M) 22 Occurred: 08/14/13 (2157 hrs)       LOCATION:  48 Evergreen Avenue

Time and Date of Death:  08/14/13;           2223 hours                       

(Gun)    (Open)

 

WHO CARES ABOUT SPELLING ANYWAY

The signs posted around the gravel lot for employee's at the Public Safety Complex on High Street are meant to warn "violaters" against trespassing on the lot.

I think they meant violators , with an "o", I guess the sign machine doesn't have spell check

SAY IT ISN'T SO, CHEATING AT BETANCES

FoxCT and Courant.com are reporting that the State of Connecticut has launched an investigation into possible cheating on test scores at Betance's Elementary School in Hartford.

I am sure it can't possibly be true because people's bonuses depend on these test scores.

You can read the story here

ANOTHER HPD HOMICIDE ARREST

FROM HPD:

On December 23, 2012, at 4:48 am, Hartford Police Officers were dispatched to 114 Hillside Avenue on a 911 call for shots fired. On arrival, patrol officers found an unresponsive victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. The male victim, Jazzy Delgado, 21 of Hartford, was transported to Hartford Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Homicide detectives from the Major Crimes Division actively pursued the investigation.

 

On August 13, 2013 Major Crimes detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Javier Melendez, age 20 of Hartford CT, charging him with Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Reckless Endangerment 1^st, and other firearms related charges. On August 14, 2013, with the assistance of the CT Department of Corrections and Parole, and the Manchester Police Dept. and the HPD STF, Melendez was taken into custody in Manchester CT. without incident. He is currently being held on a $1,000,000 bond.