Sunday, October 1, 2017

MAYOR BRONIN HOLDS A DANCE RECITAL AT PUBLIC COMPSTAT AT HPD

Mayor Bronin arrived a half hour late for the awards ceremony at the Public Compstat meeting Thursday. The awards were given to four Hartford Police Officers for outstanding life saving efforts above and beyond what they do every day. It is no surprise though that Bronin's watch was off since he has not shown a huge amount of support for our first responders, both police and fire, during his tenure.

But Bronin's dance recital didn't come during the awards ceremony, it came when he showed his total disrespect and trust for community members present and his lack of understanding of the word transparency. It came during a point when community members present were heaping praise on HPD Chief Rovella regarding his  service to the City and his announcement that he would be retiring in February.

During that praise, community activist Hyacinth Yennie asked the Mayor point blank if the selection of HPD's next Chief would be an open and transparent process. Here is where the Bronin dance began. It is probably one of the worst kept secrets in Hartford's history that the next Police Chief has already been chosen. There was no public input, not one bit. The King has spoken and has made his choice.

Now Bronin is within his rights to do that. As Mayor, Hartford's charter allows him the power to select Department Heads, the Police Chief included. And those Department Heads serve at the will of the Mayor, with one exception. Connecticut Stater law governs the removal of a Police Chief " for just cause" only to avoid political retribution.

There is probably no more important Choice for Hartford's Mayor to make than his selection of Police Chief . In this current climate, that choice can make or break the City and how the City, more importantly its residents, work with the men and women of the Hartford Police Department. We saw what happened with the last Police Chief that was shoved down our throats without any public input. Patrick Harnett may have had a stellar career at NYPD , but he was a terrible fit in Hartford and never was accepted by the community and there was never any community "buy in" to his plans or his management style.

Harnett lasted a little over a year and never really moved HPD forward or gained acceptance from the community.

Compare that to James Rovella, who wasn't Mayor Segarra's first choice for Chief after Daryl Roberts left. If it was up to Segarra, we might have had a Chief that a national search produced. A Chief who had been charged with a DUI a short time before his introduction to us.

Luckily, we as community stood our ground and made our voices heard. After public interview's, some called them inquisitions, Rovella was eventually made acting Chief and then appointed permanent Chief of HPD by Segarra.

The public input was important in the selection. What Mayor Bronin doesn't seem to understand is that, yes the Charter gives him the power, but the public buy-in and participation in the process is extremely important. This Chief is someone that most residents need to feel comfortable with and see as a willing partner to further the relationships necessary for the trust and working relationships in our community. Community policing in Hartford is huge, and the reason it works is because of the trust and relationships between the Chief and everyone else from Lieutenants in the neighborhoods to the men and women of the Hartford Police Department.

Now, no one can ever accuse Luke Bronin of being a good communicator. He did it from the beginning with everything from our Unions to the community groups. His styl;e is that the King has spoken and as loyal servants we will blindly obey.

Now I understand Bronin's dance and his solid effort to avoid Hyacinth Yennie's question as to the selection and transparency. But it might have prepared people a little more if he were to say something like "I have already made the decision on the next Chief, it is someone I feel will be a good fit and will serve the Department and the City well. Furthermore, I have a candidate that I have confidence in that  will hit the ground running and continue the great work of the Hartford Police Department without any interruption.  There is no need to waste the time and expense of a National search"

Bronin's selection for Chief may very well be a great choice to run the Department and be a strong leader. Unfortunately, Bronin's lack of transparency has already put the next Chief at a disadvantage and he will have an uphill chore to catch up and gain the trust that transparency would have started him off with.

It would have probably also made sense, and shown some courtesy for Bronin to contact Hyacinth after Compstat . A simple call saying " Hyacinth, I have already selected the next Chief, I wasn't ready to announce it in COMPSTAT, but I will introduce you to the next Chief and make sure you feel comfortable with him. I know your partnership with HPD is critical for our success and I am not trying to hide anything from you" 

That is called courtesy and communication Luke, it might not be in the Kings playbook, but it is how you need to treat your community partners.

Hartford's Next Police Chief, David Rosado


So in the full effort of transparency, please let me introduce you to your next Chief of the Hartford Police Department. I would hope that despite the Mayor's secrecy, we will support him and give him a fair chance to succeed. The future of our City and the excellent relationship we have with the Hartford Police Department is too important for anything less.

Lieutenant Colonel David Rosado is currently the highest ranking Hispanic Officer in the Connecticut State Police. Rosado is expected to assume the role of Hartford's Chief in March of 2018 according to numerous high ranking sources in Hartford government.

According to the Connecticut Latino News:  "Rosado is a product of Hartford’s South End and is the son of Puerto Rican-born parents who came to Connecticut as teenagers. Growing up he said he had the “best of two worlds, speaking Spanish with his parents and English with his siblings. He said being bilingual is a big help in his job.Looking back at his boyhood, Rosado said it was a “different time” and “we could play in our backyards all day.” The game that most attracted the young Rosado was baseball. He played centerfielder at Bulkeley High School and for the University of Connecticut. After graduation, he remained active as a member of amateur league tceams and currently suits up for the Glastonbury team in a central Connecticut men’s league.

Lt Colonel Rosado will have some huge shoes to fill as Chief Rovella's replacement , but I would hope that he will be given a fair shot at success by us as a community and the men and women of the Hartford Police Department  and not be treated differently because of the lack of transparency by Mayor Bronin.

And Mayor Bronin, it is not too late to begin to fix this to give Rosado a good start, and that means proper community involvement, oh, and some transparency.

37 comments:

  1. So is foley gonna stick around with his lackluster leadership skills and constant ego driven tv star persona? I hope this new chief lays down the law on the command staff to do more then just tv interviews, which an officer can do. He has a huge job ahead of him. Low morale and about 120 down on troops.
    Harnett sucked. Roberts would know your name, but not the brightest bulb. Rovella introduced new texhnology, but zero leadership for the troops.

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  2. Amazing you had to announce the new chief and Bronin had to lie to Hyacinth at the meeting. Bronin is absolute trash. Typical no good politician.

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  3. The new chief should hook up a slide from the second floor that spills into the union station................. Long and buyak are officially envited to stay per the troops in the field.

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  4. Advice to Chief Rosado- strip the stars from Foley, Rendock, and Ford. Shut Foley up and instantly boost morale. Buyak is getting crusty, he should maybe consider retiring before he loses his pension.
    Keep Long on board.

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  5. I don't think keeping Chief Long will be an issue, good things are in his future from what I am being told and the commute will be much easier

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  6. Bronin is a shady character. He knows he burned every bridge he had to the Northend and the Black community with his phony promises. Rosado may actually be a good pick eventually, but the little King is just trying to shore up his base now by pandering to Hartford's Hispanic community...sleaze

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  7. Would luv to put my nameOctober 1, 2017 at 7:20 PM

    Long will be a chief one day. Good dude. Buyak will probably leave with buckshot and it will be a sad day for a leader like buyak to leave. Rendock would be a good manager at home depot. Ford would have been the chief if not for some minor things. Guys have done ten fold worst her and made deputy. Fallon stole. Fact.
    Foley will so what he always does and slither into the new chiefs office .... so maybe channel 3 needs another scott h to be on the tv set

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  8. It'll be a sad day when Buyak hangs it up. This pick is clearly pandering to the Hispanic community. Especially knowing that the PR population will quadruple due to the hurricane which means more voters to pander too. Im willing to give him a chance as long as he shows Foley the door or (probably won't happen) have him work teleserve shift permanently assigned to c-squad.

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  9. this is not about Buyak, Ford, Foley or anyone else. It is about incoming Chief Rosado and what is best for HPD to succeed and continue on the progress made over the last few years by Chief Rovella

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  10. Have rendock order some new copy machines for teleserve before he leaves.

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    Replies
    1. Have Rendock order a few more cases of crime scene tape also while he’s at it, we’re running short. Thank you.

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  11. Hope the new chief's first stop is 50 Jennings to clean house. Time for the useless command staff in that building to be sent packing.

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  12. Excellent commentary, Kevin. Mayor Bronin has shown his forte in dealing with stadium insurers and now bond insurers to negotiate BEFORE bankruptcy. He is a talented insurance attorney and general counsel, as per his Malloy office experience. His public style is also befitting of a professor. He is NOT adept at politics, staff management or communicating, however. His definition of engagement = paying off Democratic Town Committee members who sold him and Marc DiBella the endorsement with whatever favor or job while blindly supporting the ill-fated Equity 20-20 school closing process, poorly led Shooting Task Force, or the library board’s fake analysis to close branches without alternatives. These efforts were targeted at the black community who put Bronin in office. Voters will not forget. Game over, just like Bloomfield went 2 to 1 weeks ago.

    In addition, already hiring a police chief and outfitting him with clothing BEFORE conducting public meetings or putting in a resolution to Council, shows Bronin’s deep disregard for Council or their oversight of him. Bronin needs those votes. The #1 issue to be focused on: Will state trooper methodology work with current HPD, where strong community policing has helped prevent officer-involved shootings or dangerous demonstrations like other cities. Rosado will also start with deep negatives publicly if Thode is promoted to AC or Kelly Kraynak is brought over from the state. We need “new and improved” not “same-old and lots of skeletons.” Hartford needs to think, “Would another town in the region promote or act as we do??” Every time the answer is NO.

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  13. State Police conducts its business in a different manner than Hartford Police. State Police works in a mainly rural areas and the highways. Safe to say they are real sticklers when it comes to traffic enforcement unlike Hartford Officers. If he brings his State Police management style to a city, guarantee there will be conflict not just with the Officers but also from the community. Maybe this is part of the plan Luke has for HPD; bring in a state trooper who probably has a militaristic mindset to a urban police department hoping to create tensions within the ranks.

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  14. First off State Police will not let Rosado go This is a ploy to keep him and send him further up the ranks to running,Stat Police. Kelly Kraynak would also be a good fit. As for a future governor I hear Connelly is stepping down from the VA job. What's that tell you

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    1. Why Kelly? Rebecca O'Shea for DC would be the right choice on many levels and she has no baggage and she currently works at the department. No brainer

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    2. The state police won’t let rRosado go? I guess you were very wrong on that one.

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  15. Kevin, take poll to see if folks would re-elect him

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  16. 5:47PM

    I think you need to read Bronin's press release today naming Rosado as his pick for Chief

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  17. Dumb Hartford citizenOctober 4, 2017 at 12:34 AM

    Wake up and smell the coffee .......Mayor Bronin considers you all to be dumb and childlike and feels no need to act with transparency or seek your opinions on the new police chief.

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  18. Kelly Kranyak is will NEVER be a AC in Hartford.
    Don't be duped, Rosado is just another Politcial toy handed down from Malloy to Bronin. Seems like a nice guy but he has been an admin guy his entire career. There is a big difference between Inner City policing and being a highway cop.

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    Replies
    1. He's done inner city policing. You have no facts. You're just following what others say. Smh

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  19. Kelly Kranyak murdered two children and cost the city millions from driving recklessly. Had that happened today, she would be arrested.

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  20. Kevin, please do not eliminate this: It was not the time or place for Mayor Bronin to announce who he was going to appoint as the next Police Chief. Hartford residents will be introduced by Mayor Bronin at the appropriate time. The Mayor has a busy schedule and sometimes dose arrive late. REMEMBER HARTFORD DOSE NOT HAVE A BUDGET. Wake up State Senators and State Representatives. Hartford needs a budget. Hartford Police Chief James Rovella is a role model. Hartford will deeply miss him. Yet, his term is not over.

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  21. You are correct, the Mayor does have a busy schedule but it seems to work when it suits his needs. I am sure if it was for something important like picking up a check for a fundraiser from one of his fat cat lawyer buddies he would be on time. Unfortunately, Mayor Bronin has shown so far that our Police Officers and Firefighters are not a priority to him

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  22. I miss the poster who always used the word "obtuse"...must have retired. LOL

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  23. Hey if Hartford Fire can hire a Chief who never fought structure fires and also “leads” public works employees at the same time ,then you guys at HPD can deal with a unrelateable state trooper as your “leader”.Maybe Bronin will put him in charge of the Hartford Library Department too! You see ,we give too much credit in thinking politicians are savvy,their so stupid they would probably hire a plumber to put a roof on their house as long as it meant getting a vote or a kickback.

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    Replies
    1. Are they stupid enough to use their instead of they're?

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  24. 5:25PM

    you need to stop beating that tired drum. HFD probably has one of the most competent Chief's in decades that they have Chief Freeman actually managing the Department no one else would have received the Grants to replace your depleted numbers or get a Federal Grant to finally provide you with decent communications

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  25. Rebecca O Shea was fired from Farmington Ct Police.

    Kelly Kraynak killed 2 children in an auto accident

    in her cruiser on Dec 26 years ago driving recklessly.

    She was also married to several Htfd ct cops.

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    1. You have your Intel wrong. O'Shea was never fired. She transferred to HPD. Nice try. Apparently you have issues with strong females on the job.

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  26. Fact Kelly Kraynak killed 2 children
    while operating her cruiser on Dec 26=-- 21 years ago on a nite she
    went for coffee driving reckless thru a stop sign.

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  27. The announcement of a new chief several months before it takes effect is a lousy way to treat the current Chief of Police, James Rovella. Almost like George Steinbrenner naming Billy Martin to be the next manager of the NY Yankees while Bob Lemon was the current manager of that team.

    That BS move undercuts the current chief and is disgraceful.

    This move puts strain on the new chief to be and he should realize that the honeymoon with him as another "son of the city" will be over at the first shooting or serious incident. Politicians never tell the truth. Police are used and then spit out by them. Bad move all around.

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  28. Like i said before: being a trooper and a city cop are two very different monsters. Luke made this pick for two reasons. One: he alienated the northend black community and he knows this and he appointed Rosado as a gesture to the latino community. Secondly, its no secret that holds hpd in contempt and he appointed a trooper as a way to create tension in the dept.

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    Replies
    1. Luke has already more than created tension in the department......and far worse is to come while he’s in office.

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  29. Hi Allyssa. Regarding your comment at 10:25am about Luke's
    decision to leave the council out of the HPD Chief selection process. The Hartford city council does not make good decisions and does not enforce all of the decisions it doe make. The council failed to properly limit sick time abuse. Rewrote the limitations on sick time abuse to allow more current employees to carry over a large numbers of hours they never applied when they have been out.
    The city council did not discipline anyone regarding abuse of bonuses. Credit card frauds. COUNCIL did not discipline anyone after the 100 million dollar baseball stadium (70 million over budget) . Did not discipline anyone after the failed soccer stadium project. Duckett con Darrell Hill out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Alyssa, maybe it is a good idea that Luke Bronin did not include the City council in the Chief selection process. They don't make good decisions and have no teeth behind the few decisions they do make. I'm not a supporter of Luke but I do understand why he would not have confidence in the council's decision making.

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