The Audit report was actually requested by Hartford Police Chief James Rovella after officers went to him with their concerns regarding the operation of the Hartford Police Firing range. Rovella immediately requested the City Auditors begin an internal review and eventually an HPD Internal Affairs Investigation was launched. The results of that IAD have not been released yet but , it will probably be far worse than the details outlined below.
There are more questions raised than answered as you read this, but also keep in mind that this has gone on for years at the range. Chief Rovella has implemented recent changes to add additional oversight and controls to the range. The "range Officer" who was not identified in the audit is reportedly Lou Crabtree who basically ran the firing range unsupervised for years. He abruptly retired once the audit and IAD investigation began. Although the audit doesn't mention criminal charges, after reading the report it would seem hard not to be some.
If the numbers are accurate, there seems to be over $400,000 in ammunition unaccounted for. It also seems like there would probably be some federal violations , especially for an ammo dealer transporting such large quantities of bullets over state lines with no paper trail or record to review.
One high ranking HPD source recently told me "if we had a Ferguson type incident, we have no extra ammunition on the building to give out to officers" Even though by the invoices it would seem there is plenty, especially since HPD normally spend on average $115,000 a year for ammo, and last year according to the books spent over $400,000.
Crabtree apparently told auditors that he bartered much of the ammo to other agencies, including Windsor Locks PD, the Connecticut State Police and East Hartford PD. I am waiting for the IAD report to be released before I start FOI'ing documents from those agencies to verify Crabtree's claims. I can't imagine the Connecticut State Police "bartering " for ammo, or that "bartering" ammo is even legal.
This might actually be the type of thing that needs to go before a Grand Jury to get to the truth or even the Federal Corruption team. The large amounts of ammunition unaacounted for is disheartening . HPD has anobligation to account for that ammo and to make sure it has not fallen into the wrong hands. With that much ammo missing, HPD could potentially be supplying evrry gang member in the Greater Hartford area with 9mm and 40cal shells for the next several years.
Officer Crabtree, you have some explaining to do and your retirement to save your pension doesn't cut it.
44 comments:
No papertrail, no item A. Gail Hardy will never sign any 24.
There is a paper trail, it just needs to be found. Start with his bank records, where did he hide over $400,000. How did he pay for all of his new vehicles? And ATF might be able to build a better case for federal charges, better than IAD
Kevin, we all know your unequivocal support & bias, when it comes to Rovella. How can you not see and hold Rovella accountable? He is in charge and responsible and accountable for ALL purchases... he didn't notice a budget item increase from 115,000 to 400,000. If he didn't isn't that incompetence? He has been "in charge" for how many years? Judge him the same way you have with every other Dept Head.
This is OUTRAGES, MISMANAGEMENT, INCOMPETENT and Falls on Rovella, you know it and we know it! If he didn't know he should of known, even you know that or should.
Wow OMG what will Chief Rovella do now? THhis is all happening on his watch $400'000 and I used to wonder how Lou Crabtree always had the best cars in the whole department, that guy accused Ricky martinez of stealing a magazine he also failed me one quarter for talking back to him Karma is bittersweet and revenge is a dish best served cold if this guy doesn't do any jailtime just throw away justice system this is absolutely beautiful
Maybe the mayor should create a task force of old useless chiefs of the HPD to investigate this. And he can use a useless old fire chief to be on it also.
7:19 chief Huertas on a trash force or a task force is a great idea. Excellent example for honesty, efficiency and of course leadership
STOP turning away from highlighting the HPD f##k ups. There are many, the drinking, the drugging, the overtime corruption, the stealing of time, the off duty conduct of officers... just like HFD, but you judge HPD different, because they feed you information. Believe me they only do that to keep you st bay. Ask other officers, not the ones that feed you and certainly not Rovella.
This is NO small matter and as previously commented and you always say, they don't care cause it's taxpayers money and NOT theirs. Well this falls on Rovella; Ultimately it is his job, his responsibility to monitor and maintain his budget.
If this was Huertas, Deller or SKB you would be calling them all kind of stupid, incompetent names, oh you have for a lot less dollars Be fair & balanced in your "Reporting".
You will lose credibility, if you do not scrutinize Rovella just like the rest. Or at the very least, admit that this is on his watch and just like every other person, Dept Head, employee you judged, judge him!
Why don't you supply some names and information if you have it. I suspect you cant
According to the Audit Report this mess at the range has been going on for several previous HPD administrations and nobody did anything. Sounds like Rovella is the first one to do something about it. The audit report also said Rovella requested the audit.
HERE WE GO AGAIN!! No checks & balances, no accountability, no supervision...business as usual for HPD. For those of us who are really INFORMED we can attest we are familiar to that mindset. Lets look at a past "AUDIT" or "INDEPENDENT REVIEW" of HPD dated:Sept 21, 2011 MARCUM ADVISORY GROUP. This costly (to taxpayers) review involved the IAD and the citizen complaint process. On page 12 its is noted by MARCUM ADVISORY GROUP that: " FEW IF ANY, OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED IN A COMPREHENSIVE AUDIT OF IAD TO IDENTIFY AND CORRECT DEFICIENCIES, COMMISSIONED IN 2008 WERE EVER IMPLEMENTED. MANY OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS ADDRESSED THE SAME DEFICIENCIES NOTED DURING OUR INQUIRY" In other words, our leaders are AWARE of issues/problems within HPD, they SEEK HELP and ADVICE in identifying/addressing the problems. A costly AUDIT IS ORDERED yet after the audit concludes and makes recommendations HPD decides not to implement any of them. WHY NO ACCOUNTABILITY EVER. Taxpayer money wasted. More of the same from HPD in a time when police nationwide are seen in such a negative light. Now its 440k unaccounted for? SHAME HPD! Dear Mr Brookman STOP TURNING AWAY FROM HIGHLIGHTING THE HPD F&%#K UPS INDEED!
MR BROOKMAN: TELLING THE TRUTH DOES NOT MAKE YOU ANTI-COP. HAVE SOME BLOG INTEGRITY & KEEP IT REAL. NO NEED TO GO SOFT ON THE FACTS. THIS IS ALL ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, SOMETHING HPD DOES NOT HAVE...IM WAITING.
Now we all know how Lew Crabtree aka Crabby , bought his new Hummer vehicle that cost $90,000 dollars. Also the dude Lewis and his wife hunt for bears in Maine ,that is where he used his ammo. Windsor locks PD are all former Htfd Ct cops who retire and go there.
Dear Chief Rovella,
Thank you so much for finally taking the heat off of me. This has been the best few days I have had in a long time. Please keep up the good work.
Sincerely, Chief Huertas
5:01p
Why don't you enlighten me and my readers , what am I covering up? Please be specific
4;52 PM
please feel free to call me at your convenience and I can instruct you how to start your very own blog and you can then post whatever you want
LMAO
Once again. Zero paper trail. Zero accountability. You can not get blood from a stone. No 24 will ever get signed for a " hunch" that maybe some brass and rounds were missing, plus is there even a time frame ? Ten years or maybe the last fifteen years?
I actually feel sorry for the person geting stuck with that titanic of a report . Hopefully they get some pink....
The baton has officially been passed from the HFD to HPD.
Crabtree got his pension. End of report ..
You know Pedro steers those Audit Reports, hence the past administration lingo. He wanted that in for him & Rovella. As you know, someone signed those invoices and ALL DEPT HEADS MUST REVIEW AND SIGN OFF FOR THEM TO REACH THE NEXT LEVEL. Look at the Procurement Procedures. Sure he requested it, the rumors of misuse of ammo & funds were out there. What better way to deflect your part. Sorry folks, if Rovella is not accountable neither Deller, and the rest of the fraudulent Dept. Heads, including Mayor Caviar!
Sounds like Sour Grapes and your true colors are showing.
If Kevin rats on HPD, FOLEY will quit leaking him info.
Cops stealing time from the City. Cops leaking info to the City. A Chief that let Senator PJ. take the hit for the whole Dept. Bad chases. You name it PD. does it, it just doesn't get as much media attention.
Stop being bias - Post my comment about Procurement Procedures and the "past administration" rhetoric. Rovella must approve every invoice before it goes to finance. The enormous increased amount in that one line item, would have raised a RED FLAG to any amateur or idiot. Rovella can play the city hall blame game, however the buck stops at the Chief's door.
FOI all info to invoice processing and let the chips fall and come to light. Please be FAIR, I like you and do not want to think you are protecting Rovella. You have no problem exposing minorities,, you don't want that imagine to be a cloud over you.
How do you think the audit began? Chief Rovella recognized the red flags and called for the investigation. The red flags had been there for years under his predecessors, who did nothing. If I was biased, I would have never posted the full report or even pushed for the report to be released
How can a certain officer with an active protective order against him, which means he cant be around firearms, be working inside the booking facility ? He has access to firearms in the sallyport if there is a fight between a prisoner and a street officer. Another coverup i guess. I guess the media will cover this mess also ..... Good job stack with the skydiving on sick time in Texas ..
So let me get this straight Tishay Johnson stole 30K there was a big story he was forced to resign an did not get his whole pension but Crabtree mishandled 400K and there is no arrest his name was not dragged through the mud publically and he got to retire an we are to believe race has nothing to do with this? Kevin you are right a grand jury or the Feds should investigate this because no matter what IAD finds it does not look good for Rovella or the Department where did all that ammunition go?? Is it on Albany Avenue?? This is very serious especially if none of those other police departments verify Crabtree bartered with them
Do an audit on the pj office supervisor . Bunch of nonsense going on in there. ......
Kevin. I think it is garbage that rob allen does not get traffic because of a city hall politician who has no concept of what the police do.
1138am
Stay tuned, another incident has just come to light and I am investigating it now to get details. Not going to be good for the officer
Forget mayweather vs pacheau. I wanna see winston vs manson !!!!!! Firetower style ! I would gladly have a hundred taken out of my pj slip .
Bad chase on Franklin Ave. Let's see how PD. covers this up!
WINSTON BROOKS , tough as they come and has integrity to. The dude hates Manson , Mikey Manson the weasel rat , who back stabs all the Chiefs on the top floor.
Any comments on the new daisy and the deer video ?
Kevin why is information taking so long for you to release you have lost your journalist ability and integrity. It seems like you filter stories regarding HPD . Stay true to the blog and its viewers .
Why don't you enlighten me? What would you like to see that I haven't posted? If you are referring to the deer video, that will not be posted here because that , in my opinion I neither a legit story or fair to the Officer involved. That video was leaked by the wife of an HPD officer currently investigation as retaliation , law enforcement officers at DEEP said there was no criminal violation but apparently their spokesperson, who has probably never spent a day receiving any formal law enforcement training his entire career thought he knew better said there was a violation , which numerous sources in law enforcement continue to say there was not. Even though it is popular right now to buy into "open season on cops" frenzy, I am not buying into that. If you are referring to the racial incident , that will come out when all the facts are gathered, not just to enrage public opinion
So yelling at a dog to attack bami is ok and you are ok with it mr brookman?
Her name is Dixie! Not daisy
What about Open Season on HFD, you didn't have a problem with that .
Whats up with stack going 44 at mohegan sun ?
Is hpd banned from the place ?
I think it was Foxwoods
Kevin, there was never any follow-up to the incidents involving Eric Smith. Any departmental discipline for the weapon incident at his home or the vehicle pursuit he led an officer on that resulted in him crashing?
anybody wanna go to the casino to watch the fight ton. Im gonna ask stack but he might be working booking ....
I think Stack is working without an 83 since the judge issued the protective order Thursday and took it away. HPD is trying to catch up to the Fire Dept quickly again
Kevin, NYPD Officer succumb to his injuries today from a suspect who shot him.
Where are the riots now for this Officer family?
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