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Saturday, June 24, 2017

HPD CAUGHT WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN

And no, that title has nothing to do with the former Commander of the Hartford Police Academy.(Although it could)

No this posting is more about the incompetence that allowed HPD and the Hartford Police Headquarters to be plunged into darkness and a crisis situation last night. Now you would think that a Deputy Police Chief charged with the maintenance and operation of police headquarters would likely maintain a checklist for critical items,

 1. Emergency generator tested and operational, check yes or no, if no schedule emergency maintenance
2. Uninterruptable power supply for radio system, tested and operational- check yes or no. if no schedule immediate service before radio system crashes during a power outage

I could go on and on, but that is why we pay Deputy Chiefs very large salaries to manage the PD. Any DC could probably call the smallest police department in the state and ask them to email their  checklist and put it on City letterhead and it would most likely be much better than what HPD currently has in place by the looks of it.

Last night, disaster was averted in Hartford, but not because of any pre-planning or preparation. More likely we got lucky.

Due to a power outage last night because of several transformer failures by Eversource equipment, HPD's headquarters was plunged into darkness when the backup generator failed or provided very  limited power to the Complex. The outage affected both telephone and radio operations and eventually, dispatchers were transported to East Hartford PD with portable radios to answer 911 calls that were diverted to our neighbor over the river. The dispatchers also carried with them a large amount of paper pads to keep  track of what they were doing.

No case numbers or routine information could be provided to officers in the field until about 1PM this afternoon when the systems began coming back on line. Officers couldn't complete any reports as all of the computers at Headquarters were down.

According to one source at HPD, the generator may have been restricted to limited power by a vendor over unpaid bills. I will work on that Monday with  an FOI request, but considering the City's financial situation and chronic mismanagement, it sounds reasonable, and I know the emergency generator has worked in the past.

Maybe it is time for someone to break out their City credit  card and pay the bill before the power goes down again

I also have to wonder where  was HPD's nearly million dollar command post that sits idle and rusting in the parking lot except for the one or two days a year it is currently used, Maybe the same Deputy  Chief responsible for testing the generator should also loosen the grip on the keys to the Command Post and train a few more people how to start and set it up in case of an emergency.  ..

According to HPD sources, numerous other problems arose during the failure. The access control system to unlock the entry doors into the building failed , and officers  were instructed to come to the front lobby as those were the only doors they were able to unlock. But apparently locks on some other doors didn't have the same issue. Sources advised me that when the systems failed, all of the doors on the jail cells in booking did unlock immediately . Now how could that be a problem, they are only jail cells Hopefully whoever designed that system doesn't do any work in our prisons.

But then again it was a slow night in booking sine officers were advised to avoid making any arrests since the cameras and fingerprint scanners and booking computers wren;t working. I guess no one could find the ink pad and print cards and roll the fingerprints the old fashioned way. Modern technology.

But to be fair, the Deputy Chief who should have been  supervising the systems that crashed last night, apparently is caught up in the investigation of the former Academy Commander, so he has his hands full. With failures like this , Acredidation seems like a long shot .

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good job Dustin, exactly what he's good for, nothing. Well maybe the Russians and or Jaffe hacked into HPD? Very comical. Stand by to stand by for things only to get much worse.

2 pjs a week. Zero proactivity said...

Rendock. Rendock. Rendock. He is the new jaffee. We are stuck with him until he puts his application in with NASA or the sizzler. All the cell doors opening and probably in darkness. Wtf brookman. What if that happened on labor day weekend when we had 30!!
Complete half assed planning.
No wonder guys are ditchin the titanic

Anonymous said...

This is not the first time where the PD-HQ/Comm Center has been left in the dark during a power failure. Back when we were at 50 J the generator died there too. All dispatch ope's had to be moved to city hall. This is completely inexcusable and is a glaring example of the lack of preparedness by the city to deal with small emergencies like a power outage. God help those of us out in the street when the excrement really hits the fan!

Anonymous said...

Another miserable DC failure. Whose fault is that? Rovella? Oh no because you won't print that Brookman. How many times are Rovella's DC picks going to fail him or the PD. His #1 DC failure is being sent for expensive training that will not benefit Hartford or the PD. Where's city hall on limiting useless training in a retirement year. When DCF returns he could be served with a sexual harassment lawsuit or Gentry will go back to firemen. Tick tock tick tock

Anonymous said...

I guess replacing larry the computer guy before he gave about a years notice he was retiring is too much work for the brain trust in the complex .
A power cut basically crippled the entire dept. what would a computer hack
My plan for next 8 yrs
1. Work 2 pjs a week make 100 k
2. Sit in lot watch netflix until called
3. Go home to my quiet and safe far from htfd command center to relax.

Zero Productivity said...

I second that!!! Why give your best to a city, state, and country that doesn't appreciate you or your dedication of duty. At the end of the day we will have the last laugh, right to the bank!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey you guys in HPD, do your shitbags get promoted within their last year to retirement like a HFD does? Thank God the public is kept in the dark on that ! What a waste of money on a waste of a employee!

I Do Zilch Until Backed said...

But especially a city with leaders like Bronin who do not support police. Then add Minnie Gonzalez and Angel Arce to the picture. I do nothing. Let the city burn, I do not care. No support, no backing, no contract, no nothing. Let the crime, drug dealing and homicides continue.

Rendock Generator Comany said...

No. we have highly trained house mice that guessed well on a 100 multiple choice test and brought massacoto pastries to the oral board.

Anonymous said...

Get your law degree on mids. Get your masters on mids. Get that 7 percent ! Take a nap at 0300ish. Plenty of energy to stand on a j fellas. The politics have ruined htfd. Only ct would charge 60 dollars to get a vanity plate of a sports team ( whalers ) that left 20 years ago. What next? Maybe a little luke bronin re election vanity plate ! Brookman will get one .

Failing Courant said...

I see bottom feeder Vinny Vella from the failing courant stole your power failure story and just ran it now.

Houston We Had A Problem said...

The Courant's rendition of what happened is completely different from what actually happened. Maybe if Vinny Vella and Nick Rondinone weren't so busy kissing a Deputy Chief's ass, they would get the facts straight.

Two pages of calls holding at midday on Saturday seems like services were interrupted. But don't worry, I'm sure the junkies weren't affected and still got their daily dosage of narcan; courtesy of our tax paying citizens. Thanks Malloy!!!

Having every jail cell door unlock simultaneously probably was an officer safety issue especially if the cops were outnumbered. Transparency is a two-way street. So lets state the facts rather than garnish the truth.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

1:17pm I am used to it by now. They very rarely beat me, but if they do, I at least have the courtesy to say" reported first by Steve Goode at the Courant " or whoever, it is only fair and the honest thing to do.

Anonymous said...

Failing Courant or any reporter from that outlet being fair and honest?!?!? Come on now kevin. The Courant is a true example of the dishonest media.

Anonymous said...

I agree with all the talk about the Courant, and that Kevin is better, but let me play devil's advocate for a second:

Would you rather they ignore issues like this? Like Foley and his spin or not, at least someone is printing what happened.

Vella copies Brookman all the time, true, but at least he took the time to report that the power went out. No other media in the city bothered to do that.

25 in 7 said...

Shots fired incidents in Hartford are completely out of control. 25 in 7 days!!! What's being done? Is anyone remotely concerned? Yet Bronin is concerned about blight!!! Unbelievable. I'll stay parked under a bridge until we get a contract and backing from city leaders. In the meantime, stay away from Hartford if you don't want to catch one of the hundreds of stray bullets.

Anonymous said...

The latest person hit took two round. Nine bullets in total were fired in his direction. Im pretty sure the dispute was over college entry exams and volunteering at the red cross ......
Until these young thugs are removed from society, i will never ever come to hartford except a civic center event. But i usually park close by and run to my car to avoid being robbed.

Anonymous said...

Shot spotter keeps waking me up from my nap while im hidden in an underground garage.

Anonymous said...

So is hartford going to lose the federal funding since mr bronin has labeled hartford a santuary city ? What is the actual federal funding number ?
The pd gets about 15-20 million in federal aid. im sure bronin will just sell all the blight properties for huge sums of cabbage.

The Judge said...

When will we get your report about the drugs in firefighter bell's system at the time of his death?

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

Judge,

Why is it now "my report"? Isn't what has been reported in the Courant legitimate enough? I can try to get the report if it is important to you.

Anonymous said...

Kevin, I think it's important to every firefighter who was lied to by Chiefs Huertes ,Brady and Local 760 that the rumors weren't true , mind your own business and don't ask questions. How disrespectful that they knew all along. Again a missed opportunity for HFD's past administration to address alcohol/drug abuse amongst firefighters in all ranks and fix it .Why no comment or actions from Chiefs Freeman,Costello or Hudson? Kevin, I thought you said Freeman was forward thinking and extremely more competent than previous chiefs, it appears to me its business as usual in HFD. Where's the transparency? Not just for The Judge above but especially for The Brothers

Pole 1 - ATV 0 said...

Anything on the reckless ATV operator popping a wheelie in a pack of city terrorists on Newfield Ave?
I'm sure they were just trying to have fun!

The Judge said...

Mea culpa. When I wrote your report, I meant your reporting which includes the inside scoop. It is off the courants radar. And every other media outlet. You do a great job holding public officials accountable for their misdeeds. I would have expected you to revisit the tragic death of FF Bell and the suspicious settlement of the family's lawsuit before the announcement that drugs were in his system. Not cocaine as rumored and everyone knew. What about the hypocracy of naming an engine co in his honor when it may be his own intoxication which killed him and endangered others?

RB said...

"My plan for next 8 yrs
1. Work 2 pjs a week make 100 k
2. Sit in lot watch netflix until called
3. Go home to my quiet and safe far from htfd command center to relax."

"I second that!!! Why give your best to a city, state, and country that doesn't appreciate you or your dedication of duty. At the end of the day we will have the last laugh, right to the bank!!!"

"I do nothing. Let the city burn, I do not care. No support, no backing, no contract, no nothing. Let the crime, drug dealing and homicides continue."

"Shot spotter keeps waking me up from my nap while im hidden in an underground garage."

How do you guys sleep at night? Whether you have a contract or not, whether you get the support you need or not, you still take home a paycheck, don't you? And apparently, none of you feel the least bit guilty cashing that check you get.

"Shots fired incidents in Hartford are completely out of control. 25 in 7 days!!! What's being done? Is anyone remotely concerned?"

Ask the lazy whiners whom I've quoted above. Obviously,they're not concerned! Maybe, just maybe, if they were actually doing the job they're paid to do, patrolling, being visible instead of hiding, being proactive instead of sitting in their air conditioned cruiser waiting for a call things might be a little different.

Anonymous said...

So 12:12 pm ,You have no problem with these criminals who live in Hartford for free thru section 8, pay nothing out of pocket because they have a EBT card,don't register , insure or pay taxes on their car cause it's stolen, when they get shot or injured in a car accident they have no worries about deductibles on their health insurance BUT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH COPS TRYING TO PRESERVE THEIR LIVES FROM THESE VERY ANIMALS I DESCRIBED WHO WISH THEM DEATH!!!! YOUR EITHER AN IDIOT OR SMOKING THE SAME SHIT THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE!!!!

10-16 for the remainder said...

Nope, I actually feel great going to work and not doing a god dam thing. I have my allotted union lunch break and my two coffee breaks. I leave everyday at the end of my eight hours and don't turn back for anything.

Ohh you want us to be proactive an pull over cars, arrest loiterers, panhandlers, etc. etc. but you'll be the first ones to record us, make a complaint, and scream "POLICE brutality." All set with that!!!

A large majority of the citizens of Hartford could careless about what happens to their communities so why should we. If you don't like it, I suggest you talk with one of those phony HPD recruiters and apply for a position. We'll see how long that "I'm gonna save the world attitude" last in the hopeless city.

A majority of cops have the same attitudes and anyone that tells you any different is blowing smoke up your ass.

But rest assure, that when you call 911 because your baby mother's brother's son is threatning you, we will be there to keep the peace.

Gotta go, ShotSpotter is going off.

Anonymous said...

F outta here. Pia did his job. O'Hare did his job. May did his job. Gorman did his job. Countless sued for what.......doing their job. Mayor Bronin had no problem letting them hang. Do I need to continue with the endless names? You an absolute idiot. Until we're backed- z-e-r-o productivity. We answer calls for service like the firemen until we get a mayor and council that backs and supports police and want pro-active policing.

Anonymous said...

I show up and do the job I love. But the citizens of Hartford really do not give a sh** about the community they live in. Believe me if they even had an atoms worth of sh** for the city, no way the crime rate would be what it is and the school system would be what it is. Secondly, Kev you should do a piece on how Bronin is cooking the numbers in terms of crime in this city. It is bad out there on a weekend around Albany ave for example. ShotSpotter went off 25x plus this wk, there are more junkies roaming downtown and northend than ever before and all our trust fund baby of a mayor is worried about is blight. Instead of sending the feds to Chicago, Trump should also send them to Hartford.

Anonymous said...

Ur all small men. Pu$$ies. Scared to run the job.. ur part of the problem... If you asses get off your seat then maybe you can make a change... ..cowards with kevlar

Anonymous said...

@6:21

You said a lot and I want to respond. Yes, the city is over run with junkies. I have found a few bags of dope in front of my house early morning when I pick up my paper. I also have found $10 bill lost to a junkie waiting to purchase. But it isn't limited to Hartford. It's everywhere. Heroin is so cheap now everyone wants in; users and pushers. I suggest to decriminalize it and make it available in methadone clinics. Junkies will never stop using. They either die or grow out of it over a lifetime.

You mentioned blight and this is a huge problem. When you have every god damn neighborhood with blighted houses, that is a big problem. So don't put down the mayor over this initiative. But essentially you are correct, Hartford has gone to the dogs. There is nothing that can change it. Too many poor, dysfunctional, special needs people have moved to Hartford. The neighborhoods can't be saved. I'm doing what I can but my time is now limited in Hartford. Hartford is an arm pit. As the song goes, "I'm moving on up, to the east side, to an apartment in the sky..."

Our trust fund baby is a blessing compared to previous mayors. Pedro's? Fast Eddie? Drunk Mike? Carrie "golden parachute to everyone" Perry? Give me a break. Bronin is not perfect but he is heads above the rest.

Anonymous said...

I agree that Trust fund baby Luke manages to not embarrass himself like a certain politician in the WH but Hartford is facing some serious challenges. Not only are we flooded by herds of junkies roaming the streets, but also a severely understaffed dept that is badly demoralized. The moral around here is honestly pathetic and those dozen recruits in the academy, I'll bet 40% will bail before they finish fto. You are right, we are swarmed by a giant storm of $hit

Christopher Lyons retired HPD said...

To Anonymous 6:21

Your commentary on previous mayors from the City of Hartford was disturbing but I will center on your titling of Mike Peters as "Drunk Mike". That was a low blow that denigrated a deceased former leader of the City.

Mike Peters was not perfect but I knew him pretty well. He thought about how to make Hartford a better place every day of his tenure as Mayor. Not only did he know everyone in the City he was able to work with even his harshest critics to get things done.

Mike died an early death from an awful form of cancer and your commentary is disgraceful. No mayor is perfect and as a police officer the others on your list never inspired any confidence. Mike Peters did. And if you want to take cheap shots at least leave your name.