HPD TASER DEATH

FROM THE CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE:

On August 7, 2015 at approximately 8:30 p.m. police officers from the Hartford Police Department responded to 38 Kelsey Street, Hartford to assist the Hartford Mobile Crisis Team with a medical-related disturbance.
Upon arrival Matthew Russo became combative with police, Mobile Crisis Team personnel and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel.  A Hartford Police Officer deployed their assigned Taser on Russo as he continued to be combative.  After the Taser was deployed, EMS personnel administered a sedative to Russo.  Russo began experiencing difficulty breathing, and medical aid was immediately administered.  Russo was transported to Hartford Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
On August 8, 2015 at approximately 12:30 a.m. State Police detectives from Western District Major Crime responded, and assumed the investigation.

No release has been provided from the City of Hartford or HPD

UPDATE FROM HPD AT 4:00PM:

In an effort to keep our continued lines of communication open, I am writing you to detail an incident that occurred in the city last night. Please see preliminary details below:

 

On Friday, August 8, 2015, at 8:28pm,  Hartford Police Department Patrol Officers responded to 38 Kelsey Street at the request of Capital Region Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services as they conducted a medical/psych committal evaluation of a patient, Matthew Russo, 26 of Hartford. Capital Region responders requested HPD Officers to assist as the patient was very large and had a history of violent behavior. Officers specifically trained in Crisis Intervention Training (C.I.T.) responded. During the course of the evaluation, the patient became combative with Officers and EMS personnel on scene. A “Dry Stun” pain compliance measure was applied to the patient (This is a less painful and less intrusive use of force than a standard Taser deployment). This technique was not affective. EMS personnel then administered a dose of a sedative. EMS Personnel noticed the patient began to have difficulty breathing and appeared in distress. The patient was subsequently transported by Ambulance personnel to Hartford Hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 10:38pm.

 

Two Hartford Police Officers were also transported to Hartford Hospital for injuries. One of the officers sustained significant back injury. The other officer had injuries to his arm and shoulder. Both officers are currently off-line due to their injuries.

 

In an effort to maintain community trust, and avoid the appearance of bias, the incident is currently being investigated by Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crimes with the assistance of the Chief State's Attorney's Office. Hartford Police Department Internal Affairs Investigators also responded and will monitor to ensure all administrative policies and procedures were adhered to. An Autopsy will be performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where a cause of death will likely be determined.

 

Deceased:

Matthew Russo (DOB 01/25/89)

38 Kelsey St.

Hartford, CT

 

We provide this information to you as this is the best information we currently have available. We will look to keep you updated.

 

WHY ALL THE FIRES, ARE THEY PREVENTABLE?

 

 

It seems as though we are seeing many fires in Hartford this year, much larger and more severe than normal.

 I wonder if budget cuts over the last several years are contributing to these fires. I think we have all seen the increase in crime due to reduction in police staffing and a lack of hiring. Can the same correlation be made in relation to a lack of fire safety inspections? I have spoke to several Hartford property owners, and most of them can not remember the last time they were inspected by the Hartford Fire Marshall's Office.

Hartford needs to come into inspection compliance to prevent more loss of lives and property through what may be preventable fires. Here are the requirements below , according to Connecticut Law for the frequency of fire inspections

I think this is more an issue with the City Council and Mayor than it is with HFD. Budget cuts have consequences. Maybe we could do with less spokespeople and schedulers in the Mayor's Office and a couple more Fire Inspectors in the Fire Marshall's Office

The entire fire code can be viewed at: http://www.ct.gov/dcs/lib/dcs/office_of_state_building_inspector_files/csfsc_2009_amendment_5-5-09.pdf

The minimum requirements for the frequency of inspections as prescribed in section 29-305 of the Connecticut General Statutes shall be as follows: (1) Annual inspections for the occupancy classifications, all R Residential, A-1, A-2, E, H-1, I-1. (2) Inspections every two years for the occupancy classifications, A-3, H-2, I-2, I-3, I-4, B-Medical, B-College. (3) Inspections every three years for occupancy classifications B, H-3, M, S-1, A-4, A-5. (4) Inspections every four years for the occupancy classifications, F-1, F-2, H-4, H-5, S-2, U.

I AM JUST SHAKING MY HEAD IN DISBELIEF

 

Pedro (AKA Peter Segarra) Segarra at a ribbon cutting

 

 

I'm sorry.

 It shouldn't be this easy to continue to criticize an incumbent Mayor, but they couldn't be making it any easier for me. I received this press release this afternoon which claims to be touting Pedro Seagarra's 50 greatest accomplishments during his tenure as Mayor. I don't know if they are planning on building to an exciting crescendo, but it is sure off to a lame start if this is a sample. I would hope for something along the line that Segarra has created 100's of new jobs, reduced the mill rate by xx mills, increased the grand list by xx hundred's of thousands of dollars, reduced the unemployment rate by any percentage, maybe even that he hired enough Police Officers to keep HPD properly staffed

The first accomplishment he claimed was some group he started in college over 40 years ago, hardly an accomplishment resulting from his performance as Mayor.

But alas, the best the Segarra campaign can come up with is that he cut a ribbon on  a new sidewalk on Tower Avenue.

This is pathetic.

From: Jenna Grande <jenna.grande1@gmail.com>
Date: August 5, 2015 at 1:49:40 PM EDT
To: Jenna Grande <jenna.grande1@gmail.com>, Amelia Smith <ameliasmith554@gmail.com>, Michael Todd <mblandt2@gmail.com>
Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mayor Pedro E. Segarra’s 6th Accomplishment for "50 Days" Project

 -------------- 

SEGARRA FOR MAYOR 2015

Contact: Jenna Grande

jenna.grande1@gmail.com

203-815-2160

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Mayor Pedro E. Segarra’s announced another accomplishment for his “50 Days” project that has been highlighting his major achievements while in office.

 

August 5, 2015: In an effort to bolster an awareness of his achievements the past five years in office, Mayor Pedro E. Segarra has been highlighting notable and progressive investments and changes made in Hartford during his tenure.

 

On July 10^th, 2015, Mayor Pedro Segarra along with members of the North East Revitalization Association, The Blue Hills Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, the Upper Albany NRZ, and the Friends of Keney Park at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for a new sidewalk on the north side of Tower Avenue.

 

Tower Avenue is a very busy street, and the sidewalk made it safer and more accessible to pedestrians walking through Keney Park. The sidewalk was an example of the success that comes when the community comes together to create change, said Segarra.

 

The sidewalk was installed in the winter and spring on a 3,000-foot stretch of road between Barbour Street and Mayfair Road, which previously had no sidewalk. 

WHO IS PETER SEGARRA?

Peter Segarra at a recent ribbon cutting for a sidewalk on Tower Avenue 

We have heard an awful lot lately about "Hispanic Pride" as Mayor Pedro Segarra fights for his political life. Apparently the Hispanic heritage is important at re-election time, but the Anglo version is just fine at other times, especially when filing for bankruptcy. Peter Segarra is an alias for Pedro Segarra as indicated in the US Bankruptcy filing below. Why would he need to file under the alias Peter Segarra unless he was also using that name to acquire debt he was hoping to discharge under the filing?

Segarra's filing was acquired from the US Federal Court archives.

It also raises questions about Segarra's fitness to manage Hartford's half a billion a year budget when he was unable to properly manage his own finances. Actually, it probably also answers many more questions as to why Hartford is the financial mess that it currently is under Segarra's administration. Especially when it comes to those questioning how Segarra could plunge the City into the unaffordable debt that accompanied the baseball stadium project.

Peter's bankruptcy filing also opened the door for other questions to Segarra's election claims. Mainly, has he really been a Hartford resident for 41 years as he claims? That claim appears to be untrue. According to additional information developed through research, there appears to be a period of at least several years to a decade after the bankruptcy filing and discharge that Segara had actually left Hartford and was practicing law in South Florida in the Miami area. Several addresses are listed in the Miami area for Segarra during that period.

A search of both yellow page listings and white page listings for Pedro E Segarra in the Hartford area during that period show no personal or professional listings for Segarra's home or office. This would seem very unusual for a practicing attorney not to have a business listing if he was really in the Hartford area  during that time.

This is important since Segarra continues to make the residency of the endorsed candidate and frontrunner Luke Bronin an issue in the race. It appears that the legitimacy of Segarra's residency claims are being drawn into question by these records .Segarra seems to claim that Bronin's 10 year Hartford residency does not render him fit to be Mayor. I would counter that Segarra's lack of truthfulness is more of an issue than residency ever could be. I could care less if the Bronin family was unloading the moving van coming into Hartford  today . As long as he  provides  leadership and vision to move Hartford forward, the 41 years (or whatever the truth is) means nothing to me. Stale ideas and no vision mean very little.
  bdr_20150803122908

YOU WOULD THINK....

That after four years on the Hartford City Council, a certain City Councilman would be in touch enough with his constituents that they would recognize him. Apparently for at least one Councilperson, when you only hit the streets at re-election time and don't regularly venture into the neighborhoods, you need to wear a placard to identify yourself. It might also come in handy if he misses the Segarra re-election tour bus so they can make sure he gets home. The other two has beens posing with him look familiar. I think the middle one was cast in the  "Nutty Professor" movies as a college professor

 

 

NOLAN VS. HUERTAS LAWSUIT FILED

Here we go again. Another lawsuit against the City of Hartford rising out of mismanagement and vindictiveness. The suit is pretty self explanatory. Much more on this as it moves forward, including some interesting revelations about some of the named defendants.

Signed.original.nolan.8.3.15.Complaint (1)

I AM NOT SURPRISED

As homicide number 20 was coding at Saint Francis Hospital and eventually being pronounced dead, Hartford's Mayor Pedro Segarra was posting on Twitter that he was dancing he night away at the Riverfront.

If only he spent as much time focusing on Hartford's violence problems as he does on cutting ribbons, kissing babies and dancing at the Riverfront .Or for that matter maybe if he spent more time on job creation, the violence would be reducing itself.

I THINK IT IS OFFICIAL, PEDRO HAS LOST HIS MIND

 

 

Does Pedro Segarra really think that any reasonable person can believe the nonsense flowing out of his mouth?

I know the saying, desperate times call for desperate measures, but Pedro is taking it to the extreme, Pedro's attack on his challenger's time of residence is laughable It is now coming to light that Pedro's claims of  41 years in residence seem to b e less than truthful. Apparently after Segarra filed for bankruptcy in 1998, he left Hartford and moved to Florida for  several years before heading back North.  Bankruptcy case number- 98-25578..Pedro was represented by Attorney Alex Aponte.

Although I think this info should draw Segarra's claims of residency into question, it might also explain an awful lot. Is it any wonder how a man who had to fle for personal bankruptcy could be entrusted with Hartford's half a billion a year budget?

 The comment  above from Segarra's Twitter feed is also laughable "how dare someone who cannot relate think they can run this City"  Is that what you call your performance Pedro, "running the City"? Maybe more like running it off a cliff.

I also can't understand this residency issue when it comes to leadership. Segarra has pretty much proven he  is devoid of any leadership skills. His challenger has already shown he has a better leadership resume than Segarra could ever hope for. The military experience, the Obama Administration, the Malloy Administration compared to  Segarra's history as a failed , and bankrupt attorney..

And just a quick note, if residency is so important to qualify for leadership potentially did Segarra drag a Hartford newcomer onto his slate? James Woulfe, one of Segarra's Council slate members. Woulfe has just barely a year as a Hartford resident according to voter registration records, he also still has his vehicle apparently registered in Middletown, avoiding Hartford's outrageous mill rate for car taxes. Not a good way to start out, "taking it to the streets for the people"  avoiding the same taxes we are burdened with. I could probably overlook Woulfe's newness to Hartford when I look at others on Segarra's Council slate that have done nothing for Hartford except to claim residency here.

And what about the member of Segarra's slate that was institutionalized and committed to the Institute of Living after a cocaine binge when he threatened to kill a former  Mayor. I guess integrity and character only counts when it comes to your political opponents, and I would match Luke Bronin's character up against Pedro Segarra's or any member of his slate any day.

Pedro needs to start talking about truthfulness  and stop the rhetoric. Hartford's political system worked just fine for Pedro Segarra four years ago when he was Hartford's political son. He gladly accepted the nomination when I went in his favor. Now four years later when the majority of the Democratic Town Committee have come to realize his inefficiency and incompetence and went in a different direction, the system is suddenly corrupt  and rigged.

And while I am talking about rhetoric, lets be honest about the homicide numbers. Figures were apparently put out today comparing homicide numbers for the last ten years. It showed our high point in 2003 of 45 homicides for the year. Segarra should remember that was the year of the Greenwood's arson fire and fourteen of those deaths were ruled homicides as a result of the arson fire. It is still bad, but a lot different than shooting deaths.

Residency means nothing. Lets focus on ideas and what the candidates bring to the table, not how long they have lived here.