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Tuesday, June 14, 2016

IT IS TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT HPD BODYCAMS

There is an ominous thundercloud on the horizon forming over HPD. I am not going to get into a lot of the details as the investigation is ongoing, but suffice it to say it is probably going to be bad.

The incident involves allegations being made of a handcuffed prisoner allegedly being assaulted while in HPD custody. Some of the actions can be explained , others caught on dashcam video have no possibility of being explained.

The incident is currently in the hands apparently of the Litchfield County States Attorney and may eventually be investigated by the Connecticut State Police to get to the truth. Our trust in our Police Department demands that and I expect nothing less from Chief Rovella and the West Hartford Police Department. The incident actually happened after a chase of a stolen car that had reportedly struck a Police officer on Park Street. The stolen car was eventually stopped by the use of stop sticks when the car was involved in a crash near Flatbush Avenue in West Hartford.

Although there are numerous different angles of dash cam video available, it still shows the need for body cameras, and if there was the inclination for "bad " behavior, maybe officers wearing body cameras would think twice about any improper behavior, no matter how much adrenaline was flowing after a long chase.

This is going to be a bumpy road for HPD to navigate, but the public trust demands transparency. Not everything is at it seems or is rumored, but the video and a professional investigation will expose the truth, both good and bad. With that being said, it is fortunate that a Police Chief that has a good relationship with the residents is in a position to explain the actions of his officers .

More on this as details develop, but please keep an open mind  and wait for the facts, not the gossip

UPDATE FROM HPD AT 6:06pm

On Saturday, June 4, 2016 Officers of the Hartford and West Hartford Police Departments and Connecticut State Troopers engaged in a motor vehicle pursuit that began in Hartford and ended with the arrest of the driver and his passenger in West Hartford. The pursuit began when a Hartford Police Officer determined that the car in question was stolen. When officers attempted to stop the car the driver sped away and led police on a chase through several residential streets in Hartford. When the pursuit reached West Hartford, police deployed “stop sticks,” which brought the car to a halt.

In the course of arresting both occupants of the stolen vehicle, officers used force-including the use to TASER-to affect the arrests. Both arrestees appear to have suffered apparent facial injuries at some point. The exact circumstances of each arrest are as yet unknown, but a West Hartford Police cruiser camera appears to show a police officer kicking or stomping one of the arrestees after that person was handcuffed.

Upon preliminary review of the incident and available evidence, it appears there is a question of excessive force used by the officers. As a result, the Hartford Police Department launched and immediate internal investigation on Sunday June 5, 2016. Contact has been made between HPD, West Hartford Police, Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut State’s Attorney’s office. This incident will be reviewed and investigated by the Connecticut State’s Attorney’s office to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

But an ugly mug nevertheless. Worthless POS. I don't think he should be a poster boy for victimhood.

Anonymous said...

SMH

Why did the Police release that horrible booking photo?

Anonymous said...

That POS needs to get his butt kicked every single day.

Anonymous said...

Well the perp didn't die

Anonymous said...

Hats off to HPD and tell the idiots from West Hartford how to park there cars.

Anonymous said...

If these cameras were implemented every person with a small possession of drugs would have to be booked instead of being up to discresion of that officer. No liscense public intox mom come picks him has to followed thru with because that's the law.. Some dumb teenager doing something stupid admitting to it hey sorry it's on camera I have to do what I have to do now they have a charge .

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

6:37

I don't think the discretion is taken away as long as your decisions are reasonable and based in sound judgement, and I think eventually the benefit to protect officers or keep them out of potential trouble will far outweigh any negatives. And if your bodycam doesn't catch it , that guy hanging out of the second floor apartment window with his I-phone probably will.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

7:02am and 3:15PM

Your sentiments may have been correct twenty years ago, but it doesn't work today. That is why we have Courts and we have to trust them to do their jobs. The Police are for the apprehension of criminals , not for the punishment. The fact that someone had 18 local arrests and has assaulted police in the past is irrelevant today. If the video and the reports are as bad as I am told, the actions of certain officers most likely have made the person you correctly identified as a "POS" a potential millionaire courtesy of the taxpayers of Hartford, and the officers themselves have placed themselves on the unemployment line and potentially in a future jail cell. There is no excuse

Anonymous said...

Would you jepordise your career for some bawkekey when your on camera? The judicial system is a joke. How many discruntal employees are there. I'm on camera follow the letter of the law bottom line it's the law!When they close down the fire house near you because it's covered by 4 others you better not bitch or complain because you've advocated the closing stages of firehouses. Can't deny it you said it during your courtesy tour your fireman guest from Germany.facts you said it at e14 L 4. Engine 8 is off the list the tac gone and engine 5 gone.

Anonymous said...

Wait till the public sees the video thank God West Hartford had their dash cams on!!

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

You aren't too accurate on the facts . It was the Netherlands not Germany. If a firehouse needs to close I guess I will have to live with it, not happily though. You can complain all you want, but what are your solutions, besides eavesdropping on more private conversations that you have no idea of the context of my remarks or the rest of the conversation before we got to Engine 14. I will defer to chief freeman to make competent decisions , hopefully having the least impact possible on the safety of our neighborhhoods. Do I like the cuts, no. But We need to live within our means. Unless I win Lotto or can start printing money, the budget is what it is and we need to adapt

Anonymous said...

This shitbag deserves his beating. LEO's correct me if I am wrong, but if someone is driving a car at a police officer intending to hurt them, doesn't the officer have the right to shoot them to protect himself/herself? Maybe this guy should have lead poisoning instead of a few bumps and bruises. Oh yeah, and spitting bloody mucous at someone, cop or civilian deserves a smack too. That is disgusting and potentially fatal for the receiver of the spit. Typical West Hartford PD, no clue how city police work is done. Stick to shoplifting and loitering in BlueBack Square and leave real police work for Hartfords Finest. FYI WHPD, you angle your cruiser into traffic to protect your potential work area from other vehicles hitting you. If your dash am is pointing away, so be it. Better than getting hit by rubberneckers.
My prayers the involved officers are cleared and stay safe.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

6:41am

First off, your attitude is exactly what I am trying to avoid. There is no way, in this day and age, to justify a beating of anyone by the Police. No matter what the offense. If that is where we want to go, lets just shut down the courts and let the Police dispense the justice they see as appropriate, Probably the first and most important lesson police recruits learn is that when the cuffs go on, everything else comes to an end, no slapping, no punching, no kicking...everything MUST stop. To do anymore is insanity and probably won't just result in termination when the officer is caught, it may very well result in incarceration. If the officer is in a position where use of force is necessary, so be it, that is one of the consequences of committing crimes. Your "lead poisoning" comment, although drastic is also a realistic outcome, as long as it is justified .And I also agree with your comment about spitting the blood. I think that is also considered a felony for assault on a Police Officer I think when the investigation is done we will see one incident where an officer uses his foot to push away the head of the passenger who was spitting blood. I am pretty confident that it will not be characterized as a "kick" or anything more aggressive than redirecting the head to avoid the spitting, I think I would probably do the same thing if someone was spitting at me. Unfortunately, I think the investigation will also show inappropriate (and most likely illegal)use of force by other officers striking and abusing a handcuffed prisoner, as well as a Sergeant that stood by and apparently did nothing. And your comments towards West Hartford PD are misdirected. The days of the thin blue line of silence are gone. Former Police Officers have gone to prison for their code of silence. Every Police Officer, from the smallest town to the largest agency have a duty and an obligation to report and stop police abuse and to not stand by and do nothing. Because the criminal committing the crime is wearing a badge and a uniform is unacceptable.

I have confidence in my fellow residents and neighbors that the trust and relationships we have built with our Police Department through years of work will pay their rewards as we work through what has the potential to be a difficult situation if not handled properly. HPD took a huge step by getting out in front of this and acknowledging the incident and moving the investigation outside of the Department quickly. I would think that will only stabilize the trust in our Department, despite bad acts by a couple of Officers. Many lessons have been learned from places like Ferguson and Baltimore

It is also a time when our elected officials can show true leadership rather than fueling the flames of discontent with incendiary remarks .

Time will tell what kind of City we really are.

Anonymous said...

A sergeant sat there an watched ? That's interesting wow can't wait to see this video

Anonymous said...

I hate to agree with you Brookman, but yes NOTHING JUSTIFIES A BEATING OF ANYONE BY POLICE...Many lessons have been learned right here in our city. The Hartford Police Review Board has already identified and compiled yearly lists of officers who have had multiple complaints against them sustained. But no one cares, including YOU BROOKMAN, you or the Courant never covered it. A local paper actually published the lists this year. The CPRB also identified increases such as: In 2013 19 officers made the list...In 2014 the list grew to 29. The board is still waiting to hear from Chief Rovella as to what type of discipline the officers on the 2014 & 2015 lists received. Keep in mind we are talking about serious complaints including but not limited to CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, EXCESSIVE FORCE, ILLEGAL ARREST...Lets see the names of those officers involved and I guarantee you they are probably on CPRB lists.

Chris Lyons retired HPD said...

Oh, Those poor criminals. These same guys would destroy your quality of life by their mere presence. Neither have ever done anything good in life because their chosen profession is crime. In their latest criminal escapade they stole a car, refused to follow police commands to stop, drove dangerously through two towns, were reported to be under the influence of PCP, probably hit a police officer with the car, had to be stopped via the use of stop sticks and fought to avoid arrests. The police used force to stop both. Its never pretty but from reading some of the commentary on this blog I believe that the cops should have given the two crooks a gift card to Starbucks and retreated to the coffee house to talk about their transgressions with them.

These two characters are violent criminals. predators without one care for anyone in the community. They live a lawless life and on the date of their arrest endangered people in two cities by their reckless and dangerous behavior.

Police officers aren't punching bags but some they get hit every day and no one cares. They don't have targets on their backs and from the looks of several comments not the support of the anonymous public.

If officers made mistakes they will be investigated and disciplined but lets not waste one minute of the day "wringing hands" over these two criminal pests. They never give a SH*T about anyone and that attitude should be returned.

Anonymous said...

me personally, if i did something incredibly stupid and dangerous to others, i would deserve a beating. my father did it when i was a kid and it made me a better person. i respect other people and treat them fairly. these thugs aren't phased by being arrested and going to jail. a good ass kicking will teach more than a fine and month in jail. this is the problem with society today. let people commit horrible vicious crimes, and then treat them like a princess. this is also why a cops job has gotten so dangerous, they assault police, and disrespect them knowing nothing can be done to them physically. i am a firm believer in "street justice" by the police. stop clogging courts for petty stuff. you run from a cop, assault a cop, disrespect or insult a cop and you should catch a beating. god bless HPD and may their officers all be safe and go home to their families unhurt.

Anonymous said...

Is the CPRB list public information?

Christopher Lyons retired HPD said...

On the major topic of the blog Body Cameras are a positive addition to the rest of the equipment that police officers carry. A body cam will give anyone looking at the footage a clear view of everything about the incident that the officer is assigned to investigate.

Body cam footage will show the viewer just how police officers are received by the public when involved in routine and emergency situations. In many situations when police are dealing with felons, drug dealers and gang members body cam footage will prove valuable to many investigations and are a great tool for police when they need to identify a criminal suspect or someone suffering from psychological issues.

Forced used by officers in the course of their duty never looks good but the use of force is an essential part of enforcing the law and making arrests as long as it is used correctly and its use changes for every incident.




Anonymous said...

Dear Retired Officer Lyons:

As you may know, force can indeed be used used in effecting an arrest, but it must be REASONABLE under the circumstances. Striking any handcuffed (subdued) suspect is not REASONABLE. US SUPREME COURT CASE "GRAHAM vs CONNER" tells us how to establish what is considered REASONABLE. The US SUPREME COURT found that REASONABLENESS was built around:

1. NEED FOR SPLIT SECOND DECISION MAKING
2. SEVERITY OF THE CRIME INVOLVED
3. OFFENDERS IMMEDIATE THREAT TO SAFETY
4. OFFENDERS ACTIVE RESISTANCE OR ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE

As I already mentioned, any strike on a handcuffed or subdued suspect is NOT REASONABLE. Since you are indeed an old-timer from HPD I will ask you two questions since this case appears to be similar...DID OFFICERS ANCONA & MIDDLETON ACT REASONABLY WHEN THEY BEAT UP THAT MAN IN BLOOMFILED YEARS AGO? WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THOSE TWO OFFICERS?

Anonymous said...

THEY ALL GET TO RETIRE!
NOT A SINGLE OFFICER, ALTHOUGH THEY TALK AMONGST THEMSELVES- WILL EVER STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT & CORRECT FOR FEAR OF BEING OSTRACIZED BY THEIR BROTHERS IN BLUE.
HPD WILL TAKE ANOTHER 20-30 YEARS TO RID OF THE "LEADERS- MENTORS" WHO STILL BELIEVE IN "STREET JUSTICE", AND TEACH THE NEWBIES THIS IS HOW IT'S REALLY DONE.
AT THE END OF THE DAY ANY PERSON HANDCUFFED N GETS A BEAT DOWN BY OUR "MEN IN BLUE" NEED TO BE THROWN OUT-
PERIOD END OF DAY!
OUR SOCIETY HAS LOST ITS MORAL COMPASS- AND UNFORTUNATELY SO HAVE SOME OF OUR TRUSTED OFFICERS.

Chris lyons said...

Since I'm never anonymous Mr 532 pm no need to lecture me on anything you mentioned. I suggest since you are so knowledgable that the police entry exam should be a snap for a genius like you. You could help from within but I'd bet you don't have the other qualities needed.

In addition I'll say it again so even you can get it-if an officer made mistakes they will receive discipline. The investigation is what it is but let's not grieve too much for two mutts who will cause harm and fear again. That's what they do.

16 patrol years said...

I wish i could have been up at U hart in the late 90s when that guy was hit so hard his eyeball came out. Im sure if there was video back then it would have been a different outcome.
I guess its ok for the "ghosts" of HPD past to nickel and dime and give their expert advice on geting hands on with the folks.
In my 16 years i have watched much worse, including inside the booking dept.
Downtown special usually included racist steve meile beating people for no reason and then throwing the paper at a new guy. If the courts only knew all that he did on a daily basis. By far the very worst officer in the history of the department.
Its funny to watch the uhart command staff so " caring" and understanding of " trying" times.
Schmaultz and burgenholtz once beat the wrong guy on mids and tossed him in a new guys cruiser and basically left the scene. To bad cameras did not exist back then Mr Lyons ...... People who live in glass houses, or the 90s, should not throw stones....

Anonymous said...

Amen

Anonymous said...

Marty Miller;

!6 year Patrol, You've got quite a story there. Too bad you don't have the balls to come forward with it. Pretty easy to sit back and post anonymously, instead try manning up and go see Lt. Coates in IAD.

Hard to take things seriously when you get to hide behind a keyboard and don't have to face those your bad mouthing.

Anonymous said...

Hey anonymous at 8:57pm! Society has lost it's moral compass??? Because the cops may have been a little heavy handed with two piece of crap oxygen thiefs!!!!????? This is a joke right? If you did what these turdburgers did in 1950 America you would have been shot!!!! At the very least caught a severe cocobolo shampoo!!! And look back then, we had just got done beating the nazi's! People were polite to their neighbors, they raised well mannered sons and daughters that respected adults and law enforcement! society was good to eachother! And guess what? When cops said stop or I'll shoot!!!! They meant it!!!! Now because of all the liberal heart bullsh*t law enforcement has become the punching bag laughing stock joke of the comunity. We are handicapped! Dammed if we do damned if we don't! 99% of the cops I know arn't racist towards a nationality or skin color, their racist towards criminals! There I said it! I hate people that ruin other peoples quality of life, that steal and hurt for their own amusement and selfish reasons, that would no sooner kill a police man because (that's cool) then steal a car to go commit other crimes for fun. We live in a society that advocates music that talks about how cool it is to "shoot a pig" or "f••k those who•es!" What's wrong with us!!!!!????? Guess what Kevin, you can sit and arm chair quarterback law enforcement all you want, you have zero clue what's going on zero! Unless you strap a gun on every day and worry about getting killed, or have the hair on your neck standup in the middle of the night while talking to a perp because you know he's armed don't tell me how to police. I'm tired of this bs they hurt and kill us and we stand bye and take it attitude. If your a thug that's been pinched 17 times like this lower than whale poop scumbag and nothing has happened to you an your still out hurting and endangering innocent people that EXPECT and DEMAND me to keep them safe! Guess what? Court had their chance 17 times and failed!!! It's my turn now!! The officers should have lit that scumbag up like a Christmas tree when he drove at them! Now all we would have to worry about is is kicking over some tall candles on a street corner surrounded by empty Hennessy bottles! Oh and in case any body was wondering both of these pieces of total dirt that were high on pcp in a stolen car with large quantities of drugs on them with numerous previous arrests were on state aid!! That's right connecticut! Your tax dollars go directly into these two scumbags pockets every single month!!!! They both had shiny silver cards with small print on the back that read "paid for by all of the stupid gullable suckers in Connecticut" Why work when a jackass community will give you free money and not punish you when you commit violent crimes? I think we should have a purge!! To hell with spell check!!

christopher lyons said...

To 16 patrol,

You are truly a ball less individual. If you are so critical of people like Steve Miele and John Schmaltz please forward your name so we can discuss your impact on the city.

I sleep great at night because I know in my mind I did the right thing every day. Not perfect but right. As for Steve Miele he did more police work in one year than you did in your 16 years but we will never know. Why? Because you are anonymous. As for John Schmaltz, his socks have more integrity than you.

As for me I am in Hartford every day so if you want to get from behind the computer you know where I am. We can compare careers. Let's see if you have the balls.

I was proud to be in the department. It was an honor to serve and I was able to work with a lot of selfless and outstanding members of Hartford Law enforcement. I'll bet you aren't in that group.

Bret Hart said...

We should have a purge huh? In who's community yours or mine?? If you feel that passionately about put your name to it I can't wait till this video is released your prolly one of the Neanderthals that issues that beating

Anonymous said...

Mr lyons,
Were you proud when u put your hands on a trinity student and got caught in the cookie jar?
Steve meile is lucky to not be in federal prison, that is a fact.
In the end, my pension is about double what yours is anysways.

Name your time and place said...

Ah. The beatings that took place back way back when you dinosaurs roomed the city. The classic tales of nightly beatings by some of the great ones.
If the residents only had video cameras there would be a different tune. Stay retired.
Float away to a far away land where you can tell your war stories of beatings on albany ave and the meile downtown special sagas. I have zero respect for the old ways of doing things.
Shmaltz is lucky he did not get named in a civil suit with all his DCT nonsense. I would love to see those antics act out today on the uhart campus. He would be fired faster then shit through a goose.
So spare you old timer lectures about right and wrong. I sleep pretty good with my 120 k a year and zero civil rights violations ...

Anonymous said...

http://www.jud.ct.gov/ji/criminal/part4/4.3-3.htm

53a-167c (a) (5)

Anonymous said...

Hopefully Hartford will be disbanded like the Ferguson police department for all its corruption an racism your old ways of policing brutalizing an torturing citizens are long gone an Miele was and is a stone cold racist POS!!!

Captain Jack said...

Bring back Lester McCoy to lead a comprehensive review of the matter. He will get to the bottom of this nonsense. # McCoy16 shirts available in the parking lot after every roll call. Luke needs to fire the PIO of the dept. too. Jokes on you Hartford. West Hartford was smarter.

Police officers, retired or not, thank you said...

From an ordinary citizen prospective, I believe that a lot of these issues come from lack of parenting. Body cameras should be used. People take short controversial videos of scenes anyways, so at least as a Police Officer, you will have the whole story. Cops are the consequence for the poor choices citizens make. Excessive force should not be tolerated.

Mr. 16 patrol,
Thank you for all of your time and service, (I truly mean that). If i were a cop, I would have a little more respect toward the retired guys. They did their time, served the city. Times have changed, so apparently has Police work. Bashing retired guys is rude and uncalled for. Blue is family. Retired or not.