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Sunday, February 7, 2016

A RESPONSE TO A COMMENT

 
The following comment was posted this morning, Sunday, by , of course "Anonymous":

" I agree. This chief has destroyed the morale. They will find a way to justify eliminating conditions. You think crime is bad now? Wait till there is no more conditions. The no vote of confidence will never happen. The department's mentality for the most part has become all about individuals instead of unity. That's why the veterans are leaving. They've had enough of the bull. "

Lets look at some facts here here. This  is a disgruntled group of police officers that have been part of what are called "Condition Units". For those not familiar with the term, as a community, probably 15 years or so ago, maybe less, we were sold a Community policing program by former Chief Patrick Harnett.

That plan was to divide the City into four areas with each area being its own district. Eventually due to staffing and budget issues, those four areas were reduced to three; north, south and central. There apparently talk now , again due to budget and staffing issues , to reduce that districting to two areas, North and South. Central would be eliminated and the City would be divided back into two areas as it was before Harnett's plan was implemented ( Actually it wasn't Harnett's plan. It was devised by former Assistant Chief's Michael Fallon and Daryl Roberts, Harnett just took the credit)

The Condition Units were a big part of that plan , at least in the sales pitch to get the Community to buy into the plan. They were sold to us to be focused units dealing with "quality of life" issues. The loitering , noise complaints, all of the little things that drag neighborhoods down. They were supposed to address many of the things that are known as "C" calls. The calls that were infuriating residents because they would call the Police and no one would show up for hours.

It started out that way but didn't last. The Conditions Units quickly were allowed to morph  into  little strike forces around the City. They seem to have lost their focus on the quality of life issues, started wearing swat style vests identifying them as "HPD Conditions"  and became mini STF or Vice and Narcotics Units. Many times they were duplicating efforts, the right hand not knowing what the left hand was working on.

Those crimes do affect the over all quality of life, but they also were not intended to  be the focus of the Conditions Units

In recent years the Conditions Units could very well be renamed as the "Bar Detail".  Many neighborhoods lost their conditions units regularly on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights to handle their unruly bar customers downtown or in the North Main area. This was largely allowed by a previous Mayor and Council who wouldn't hire police officers . Segarra was  more concerned about his image in the media with bar shootings and violence than he was about the quality of life in neighborhoods.

A big question  should be asked is why would neighborhoods be stripped of resources on the nights they are being needed most, rather than make the bar owners and clubs hire officers  to control their clients?

Now with the Police Department over 100 officers short of where they should be, and more leaving in the near future , we are paying the price. There are only so many bodies to go around to fill a schedule that his minimum, staffing requirements. Those bodies have to come from somewhere, and we know we can't hire them quick enough and wave the magic wand to make them police officers overnight. Although a new class of 15 Police Officers is supposed to start this month, it will be almost a year before they are trained and certified to be on their own

In addition, the overtime requirements are out of control. I am sure most Hartford resident's would not be thrilled with the overtime costs associated with Mayor Segarra  and the previous Council's lack
of hiring. The numbers are outrageous for what was paid last year in overtime alone,  not to mention the lack of productivity by burned out officers working excessive hours .

The  numbers in dollars are pretty small, but returning conditions to patrol will fill required and necessary holes in the basic Patrol schedule and  budget. It will be approximately $45,000 to $50,000 dollars before the new budget year begins July 1, 2015.

And more importantly, how did staffing get so bad that we now have to dismantle what should be vital components of the Community Policing Program. We just came through a campaign season. Where were the Union  or Fraternal Organization advertisements about Police staffing in Hartford? Where is the outcry about playing games with Police staffing? Do none of you officers willing to whine here about the impact of a handful  of officer's being reassigned out of necessity realize the danger that failing to hire new officer's puts all of you in?

Your vote of no confidence should be in the previous Administration, not in the Chief who was instrumental in getting you one of the better contracts in years. Not in the Chief who even had to fight with the previous Administration just to get you new, safe vehicles to drive.

And the veterans are leaving , many not from dissatisfaction but because they are maxing out their earnings. $243,975 a year  for a Police Officer, and that is minus November and December earnings, as he was already retired, really? I doubt he left because he is disgusted with the Department, if so  maybe he needs to get into counseling. I think most people would be amazed at the earnings list for HPD for the past year, especially page 1 through 4. I can see why you would be upset about Chief Rovella actually trying to manage his budget.

Maybe what you should consider is uniting behind Chief Rovella to get the proper support to hire and rebuild the Department. Rally  behind the Chief to establish a program to allow bar owners and businesses  to hire Police Officers in four hour blocks to maintain order in the entertainment areas ( remember the Downtown Special before it was taken over by Conditions and CSO's and you were all cut out of that work?) Establishing 4 hour billing would not only benefit bar owners who do want to hire but don't want to have to pay for a full eight hours, but it would be a regular  addition to the PJ schedule.

If staffing allows in the future and the conditions units are reconstituted, they need to be focused on the quality of life issues as we were promised initially. Quality of life issues may not be as exciting  as chasing guns and drugs, but quality of life issues are what drives people out of our City

Although many of our political leaders do read the blog, the Chief is not the bad guy here. You need to focus your efforts where it belongs and where you will actually get a benefit and see the results.

Be careful what you wish for, things could be much worse.

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post Kevin. I think you summed it up extremely accurately.

Anonymous said...

JR is a liar period an he doesn't care about patrol only his precious STF an everyone knows it, you can try an sugarcoat for him all you want the PD is divided disgruntled an will never be the same

Anonymous said...

Couldn't believe it was brought up in my church today how much the officers are making in overtime an that the violence is still high I hear the whispers the north end is not happy with Rovella we will do everything to make sure he's out after his contract is up

Anonymous said...

I see maybe a few guys in conditions are deathly afraid of going to patrol. So now they're attempting to assassinate and threaten the chief with inappropriate anonymous blog posts.

Anonymous said...

Conditions is the back bone of the department period!!!

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

6;26PM

spoken like a true Conditions Officer who has been moved back to patrol. I would venture to guess that a couple hundred other hard working HPD Officers would disagree with you. Enjoy your change of assignment

Anonymous said...

Violence is high? Really?
Can you provide the statistics backing that up?

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

6:12PM

did you put in for STF and get rejected?

Anonymous said...

It will be a glorious day when Rovella is gone the golden boys of conditions will return this department to glory!!!!

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

6:14PM

Next time you are in Church, remind them that the crime stats occurred during the previous Administration and we are less than 2 months into the new Administration. Ask them all to remember the damage done by Segarra, Wooden, Kennedy, Anderson and the rest when they see them out in public and be sure to thank them for their efforts to decimate the ranks of HPD and putting us into the situation we are at today. More police officers have already been hired under Mayor Bronin than during the entire time Pedro Segarra was in office. Tell them to whisper about that. Ask your fellow Church members also, what are they doing to mentor young men and women in Hartford to keep them out of trouble and stay in school and become police officers? maybe we can see some of them eventually making those great salaries you are hearing about, now those would be great success stories to talk about

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

8:18PM

How has that worked out so far, especially when most people in Hartford can tell you what a CSO is from their experiences in their neighborhoods, probably none of them know what "Conditions" does.

You also need to time your comments out. It is curious how the comments negative to the Chief are all coming within minutes of each other. Which substation are you sitting in eating pizza and watching the game?

Luckily you found a keyboard that works to occupy your time

Anonymous said...

Pedro Segarra spent $50,000 of taxpayers dollars to have a search for a new Police Chief. It was a waste of taxpayers money and a real joke. Segarra made terrible decisions. A very weak former Court of Common Council also made bad decisions. Hartford is blessed to have Chief James Rovella in charge. Rovella is a leader not a follower. In the last month our new Mayor Luke Bronin has done more for Hartford and HPD than Segarra did in his entire term.

Anonymous said...

Kevin please don't disrespect the Conditions Unit and say that nobody knows who they are. Maybe the nice people and people who don't get into trouble don't know them but ask the felon who is on the corner selling drugs. Ask the gang members who are driving around with guns who they are. They are not supposed to go around and hug everyone. They do the dirty work go after the worst Hartford has to offer. I'd also ask the numerous patrol, Detectives, Sergeants, and many other who they assist on a daily basis. You have no right to brush them off like they are trash. A lot of very respectable HPD personnel got their start in Conditions and there are still very respectable Officer currently in those units.

Anonymous said...

I can assure the people on the north end that got like elected is not pro Rovella he's outta here

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

9:50PM

I am not disrespecting anyone, but your comment goes to the exact problem with what the Conditions Units became. They were allowed to evolve into mini- Gang units, mini STF and Drug units, they lost sight of the quality of life issues they were created to deal with. Although the number of conditions officers now is a small handful, I know many of them and know they are hard working, but the lack of supervision allowed them to lose sight of their mission and now they will be more valuable filling slots in Patrol.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

10:04PM

I assume you meant to say Luke. If that is the case, no one group or one area of the City can claim responsibility for getting anyone elected. If you voted for someone and now think you claim ownership and control of his actions , you are naïve and your intent is shameful. We should be voting for people because we think they are the most qualified and capable, not because they are the mot likely to be controlled as payback for your vote.

Code 2 said...

Bring back Conditions 2005-2006-2007, North vs. South vs. Central- team Shawn vs. Sean vs. John. Those were the days, can never bring that back. That was crime fighting at it's best. I miss those days.

Anonymous said...

Rovella should reconsider evaluating his command staff and making some changes. Some people on that staff should not be there and make him look bad.

Anonymous said...

Kevin maybe you should ask Chief Rovella why the conditions teams were given federal grant money last summer. A little birdie told me that he specifically told the "Conditions" teams who you also refer to as "mini gang unit, mini stf, mini narcotics" to concentrate efforts while using the grant money on guns and drugs. Go figure. You were lied too and miss informed.

Anonymous said...

Conditions, a group of disgruntled officers you say. Maybe you should get up from behind your computer, with a working key board and go ask the conditions guys how they feel about their reassignment back to patrol. You might be surprised to find out that they are not disgruntled at all. At the end of the day I am a Police Officer and I took an oath to protect this city regardless of what function or assignement. So yes I will enjoy my reassignment back to patrol. Thank you very much. Proud to be HPD the line is strong. Its upsetting that you support the bs that plagues HPD. Get your facts straight.

Anonymous said...

As a former "Conditions" supervisor (recently retired)I find your assessment of conditions officers insulting. They may not like being reassigned to patrol because of the way it has been handled. But I will give them the benefit of doubt that they will do their jobs. As to your characterizations that they became mini gang/stf units what do you think neighborhood units are supposed to do? These activities do affect the quality of life in the neighborhoods. The criminal activities in the neighborhoods that patrol cannot address are exactly why the Conditions units were started. A lot of good detectives and leaders of the department worked Conditions units and got a lot of great experience. One major problem is that under the current administration there has been a de-emphasis on quality of life crimes. Being told not to address low level drug dealing is one clear example. The direction of the units over the last several years is a direct result of the orders from the top, not from what the officers decided to do on their own.
Calling them whiners and generally disparaging these officers is not productive. The staffing issues are a direct result of the City Council and the previous mayor's management, or lack of.
Conditions officers do walk the walk that a lot of people are unwilling to do. Until you've been out there doing the JOB you should really keep your negative comments to yourself.
And if you want to be concerned about salaries and compensation really look at who made the most money and how its allocated.
Retired Sergeant

Anonymous said...

Retired First Sergeant. You never did see eye to eye with Rovella.

Anonymous said...

Exhibit # 1: Officer places his gun in his car to run up the stairs for some hot sex and a their steals his gun.
Exhibit #2: An officer steals hundreds of thousands of dollars of amo and no one is brought to task for it. Hum.... I wonder if the solid blue line doesn't care about law breakers as long as they are Po-lice.
Exhibit # 3: ______________________Fill in the blank

Tango & Cash said...

All i know is that c squad will never be the same again. I wanna ride with newell and logan when they hit the backbone patrol division.
Time to go to work bra!

Anonymous said...

I agree with the retired Serageant. From the minute Rovella took over he ordered pro active units to stop chasing the drugs and clearing corners. He said if they are not a violent dealer let them be. I bet he won't admit that. He needs to go but sadly he will stay. What the city needs is another Harnett. If the city wants to start saving money. Look at get rid of all the deputy chief's. That's a few hundreds thousand there. All you need is a chief and an assistant chief or even just a captain. Why do many chiefs? Department is to top heavy Kevin please look into how much the city spends by having all these chiefs and the take home vehicles they get. Lets see how much can be saved.

Anonymous said...

805 pm are you serious? How many homicides did the city have last year?

Anonymous said...

You honestly have no clue what you're talking about. Another citizen that thinks they know anything about policing. Please don't say you know them either. I bet you can't name five of them.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

7:43am

If you don't know me by now, I make it a point to know what I am talking about before I run off talking about it. And if I don't know, I do the research to educate myself. Many "Citizen's" have knowledge above and beyond what you give them credit for in your narrow little world. And just for your satisfaction, Central District-Logan, Newell and Sgt.Corey Cark, North- none assigned, South- Ferravante, Suchecki,Urbanski,Cornell, and Sgt.Vega is covering South Conditions. Is that good enough for you? Oh, and two of the Faith Based CSO's are Antuna, North and Maldonado Central.

Anonymous said...

Kevin,

I would trust your information much more before I would trust some "Anonymous" coward casting stones. Probably part of the greedy crowd trying to protect their own overtime, and unable to realize the Chief has a job to do and part of that job is managing a budget and related overtime costs. I doubt an apology for his comment will be coming anytime soon though

Anonymous said...

Valid points.

Anonymous said...

What about the gravel lot issue ? Where are we all going to park when the property gets developed very shortly? Yet dispatchers and civilians are allowed to park behind headquarters. This is why morale is very low. That upcoming vote might actually pass later this month ........

Anonymous said...

And what about all those new medical kits for the cruisers. A lot of good they will do sitting in a classroom at the Academy. Why? If anyone needs them, not much you can do about it, especially after we were trained with them . Why buy them in the first place if we can't have access to them. maybe eventually we can say "geez, we might have saved a life if they weren't locked up in the Academy"

Anonymous said...

The lack of med kits being distributed back in october, rests on Deputy Chief Dustin Rendock. Plain and simple. He put a major speedbump up. Those kits are ready to be deployed, but Rendock has to flex what little command presense he has as the behind the deak Chief. Just like his hero, Chief ( cant make a decision) Heavren....
But hey, i dont mind driving a spare cruiser with no kit or tank in it. What a lawsuit it would be if someone dies do to med kits piled up at the academy. I bet they would be in the field after a nbc 30 news broadcast .....hmmmmmmm

4 pjs a week said...

I really do hope Bronin reads this blog. He needs to clean out these deputy chiefs that lay speedbumps up. Foley is ok lately... But so much more could be done. And what do the captains do ? I know capt depinto is in personnel. I know capt thody does the policies, but what in the blue hell does reathis do besides make 200 k a year ?
If you wanna save some cash, get rid of some of the dead flesh.

Anonymous said...

Greed is one of the seven deadly sins according to the bible....

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

God forbid an injured officer needs help from the kits while they are sitting collecting dust at the Academy.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

8:39PM

looking at the earning list for 2015, greed is alive and well

Anonymous said...

KEVIN,I DARE YOU TO SHUT DOWN COMMENTS BY "ANONYMOUS" AUTHORS FOR 1 YEAR . YOU KNOW AND I KNOW THAT WOULD BE THE END OF THIS BLOG.SHAME ON YOU FOR CONDESCENDING THOSE WHO UTILIZE THIS "OPTION OFFERED BY YOU" !!!!!! 99% OF YOUR DIRT COMES TO YOU ANONYMOUSLY ,SO WHEN SOMEONE DOESNT "ADHERE" TO YOUR AGENDA JUST STAY QUIET AND SAVE FACE BY NOT BEING A HYPOCRITE. HERE'S ANOTHER DARE ,WHY DONT YOU START PUTTING NAMES TO THE "LITTLE BIRDS" THAT CHIRP IN YOUR EAR? IF YOU DO,,,WATCH HOW QUICK THEY FLY AWAY!

Page 1 said...

Kevin, not for nothing, but how is it greed if an officer chooses to work the excessive amount of overtime and/or PJ's as it is take your pick on either? This is all because of city councils past constantly cancelling classes. Now we're over 100 short. They didn't want to hire laterals if the skin color wasn't the appropriate color to match the community. So any officer that chooses to give up time at home with his or her loved ones to work, that's greed? It seems you want officers to work a 40 hour work week and nothing more, God forbid if someone makes more than the crappy yearly salary. Let me ask you this, what do you think would happen if nobody worked all the available line cars every weekend and there were 4 cars to patrol the entire city? Then what?

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

9:38PM

Dare all you want, I have no intention of shutting down comments. And my information very rarely comes to me anonymously, but I do protect my sources, and that is why they trust me and provide information. And if you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide, so maybe a little guilty conscience on your part? And why would I put the names to any of my sources? Would that mean anything to the validity of the information, or maybe so you could ridicule them for being honest and providing the truth?

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

Page 1

I agree with many of your points, but if not greed then why do your fellow officers condone such recklessness by the previous administration? We just came through an election season, did I miss the outcry from your fellow officers and your Union, Whether you realize it or not, the lack of hiring and running severely understaffed endangers the life and safety of every one of our Police Officers. I for one do not want to see any tragedies caused by this dangerous situation. And how sharp is that fellow officer coming to back you up after working 80 or 90hours a week? And what is their state of mind after working a road job for 10 or 12 hours in 95 degree July heat and then working their regular 8 hour shift, Common sense should tell you that human beings snap when stressed out, and then who pays the price afterwards. Not the administration but the individual officer that the City is taking advantage of by not hiring replacements,

It might be nice to be on page one, but it is not safe or sustainable for anyone's well being.

Tweety Bird said...

Kevin

9:38PM sounds like someone that has something he is afraid of being revealed by one of your little birdies. Maybe it is a ranking officer who was caught last summer having sex in his city car in West Hartford, by the enraged husband of his subordinate he was carrying on with. The husband smashed out the window of the city car when he found them and that was all hushed up. Maybe someone should dig a little deeper into that and find out what they falsified to have the window repaired.

signed,
Tweety Bird

Anonymous said...

Tweety bird,
Please let the beans off the kettle for that incident. Booty on duty is not allowed since the 90s or if you had full written consent from former chief lester Mc coy , aka Du oop.

Anonymous said...

Are you talking about DC Ford and Gentry.

Anonymous said...

So what's the solution.

Anonymous said...

The greedy crowd doesnt have to protect their overtime because all of the money in the department is being funneled to one unit with three letters. Patrol guys fight for every dime we earn. We cant hide in unmarked cars wearing plain clothes. We wear uniforms and drive marked cars tied to the radio. No wonder you defend the chief. Why wouldnt you when you have an open overtime check book.

Anonymous said...

I see nothing has changed at HPD.


Retired Officer ($243,975.00)

Anonymous said...

Congrats!!!!!! ($243,975)