MURDER AND MAYHEM ON THE STREETS OF HARTFORD

 

CARNAGE ON THE STREETS OF HARTFORD BY JOY RIDING JUVENILES AND MURDERER'S

 

 

Several Law Enforcement sources familiar with a recent homicide investigation and arrest last night and an evading accident with a stolen car this week where a pedestrian lost a leg are most likely connected.

Although sources would not name the individuals because of their ages, I was told that the persons who are in custody for the homicide are believed to have been either passengers or the driver of the stolen vehicle that crashed on Sigourney street on Tuesday and severely injured a pedestrian

Sources also said that an arrest is likely soon, but that certain legal hurdles and jurisdictional issues have to be resolved first.

One issue is that authorities wish to charge the suspect as an adult due to the severity of the crime and the injuries, as well as the suspects somewhat extensive criminal history for a young age, now also including an arrest for a homicide.

 This whole story and the incidents raise some very serious issues about the mindset of some Hartford youth. I am not sure how anyone could inflict the types of injuries as they did in striking  and maiming another human being and leaving her laying on the sidewalk. How do you shoot an innocent person in the head and think nothing of it?

And how do other Hartford youth stand by and are more concerned about live streaming the severed leg and the carnage to Facebook than rendering any assistance to the victim until EMS arrive? Something is seriously wrong here and the depraved indifference for human life is disgusting. Even animals don't treat their own like this.

And the argument that they need to be treated as juveniles because their brains are not fully developed is nonsense. Even the youngest brain should know that it is wrong to steal a car and run someone down or to pull out a handgun to settle an argument and shoot someone in the skull.

Big boy court for this already a career criminal and let him now experience "big boy" prison where he will not be a threat to anyone, hopefully , for quite a few years. His victims deserve that justice

HPD MAKES QUICK PROGRESS IN SUNDAY HOMICIDE ARREST

FROM HPD:

On July 16, 2017 at 1:59pm, Hartford Police Patrol Officers responded to the intersection of Garden Street & Westland Street for a Shotspotter system activation of 4 shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located a male victim, Jeffrey Worrell, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Mr. Worrell was transported by ambulance to Saint Francis Hospital where he was subsequently pronounced deceased. The 63yo victim had no family in the region. (Investigation showed Mr. Worrell was an innocent victim and unintended target.)

 

A crime scene was established and secured by HPD patrol officers. The HPD Major Crimes Division and HPD Crime Scene Division responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. During the course of the investigation, HPD Analysts from the Capitol City Crime Center (C4) working with MCD detectives canvassed, located and reviewed surveillance footage which captured the incident in its entirety. During the review a suspect vehicle was identified and found to be stolen from Southington, Connecticut.  The vehicle was subsequently located in New Britain, Connecticut.  With the assistance of the noteworthy New Britain Police Department, persons of interest were located and interviewed. With the information obtained, video review and physical evidence, probable cause was established by HPD Detectives. There were multiple juveniles suspects identified. HPD Detectives drafted an arrest warrant affidavits for co-conspirators which was reviewed and signed by a judge of the Superior Court.

 

On July 19, 2017, Middletown Police Officers located and took one 16yo male juvenile suspect into custody without incident. The juvenile was subsequently transported to the state Juvenile Detention Center in Hartford, Connecticut. He is being detained on a judge set bond of $1,000,000. On this same date, MCD detectives located the second 18yo male juvenile suspect at his residence where he was taken into custody without incident. The second juvenile suspect was also transported to juvenile detention where he is being held on a judge set $1,000,000 bond.  Both juveniles have been charged with Murder and Conspiracy to commit Murder. Both will appear in court tomorrow. The suspect in this incident may also be involved in other recent violent acts in Hartford. The investigation is on-going at this time.

The unfortunate victim, 63 year old Jeff Worrell was apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time as a couple of thugs with illegal weapons decided to "settle a beef". How do you respond to that Mayor Bronin?

THE END OF AN ERA AT THE HARTFORD FIRE DEPARTMENT

I feel like I have met my limit of typed characters today with my postings but this one I couldn't  just let go.

Tomorrow will mark the first time since 1953 that there has  not been a Nolan family member in the ranks of the Hartford Fire Department. Captain John Nolan will be retiring tomorrow after 27 years and 7 months of service to the City of Hartford. I know it has not been an easy decision, but back injuries over the years have taken their toll on Captain Nolan, and I of all people have learned to realize  how important your health is, enjoy it while you can. John comes from a family of firefighters serving over the years on the HFD, and served along side his brother , Deputy Chief Dan Nolan, who retired earlier this month.

Their father, the late Deputy Chief "Big  Dan" Nolan, began serving the City of Hartford in 1953 and was on duty during the devastating fire at Hartford Hospital, a fire which helped eventually form the basis for Fire Code changes nationwide.

Thank you to the Nolan family for sharing their brothers, sons and father with us and for protecting our families and homes in Hartford. Enjoy your wel deserved retirements

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS BILL DIBELLA......RESIDING

The State of Connecticut Election Enforcement Commission is one step closer to answering another one of Hartford's dirty little secrets. Where does William diBella reside. The question is important because Dibella  is the Chairman of the Metropolitan District Commission, (MDC) the regional water and sewer agency for the Greater Hartford region.

Whether diBella is actually a resident in his sons condo in Hartford or does he actually reside in his multi million dollar home on the Old Saybrook coast may determine whether DiBella can keep his title as Hartford's Sewer King.

The decision  is the result of research done and a formal complaint filed by Hartford activist Alyssa Peterson questioning diBella's residency to conform with State statute regarding the Chairman eligibility  for the MDC.

Much more on the complaint and the decision in the coming days, but don't hold your breath for anything earth shattering, this is Connecticut politics,

JUST WHAT HFD HAS NEEDED FOR YEARS

Reggie Freeman may not be perfect, but I don't think a more honorable person has been at the helm at the Hartford Fire Department in many years.

Reggie was not an insider or "career Hartford firefighter" as his detractors had complained. And I think that is part of the key to his success so far. Chief Freeman does not "owe" anyone.

Chief Freeman has been able to attack the "dirty little secrets" that have been around and well known by his predecessors for years, but they were always ignored. The drug dealing, drug use, alcohol abuse and the workers comp and sick time abuses. None of that is new, but the fact that people are being held accountable is new.

The joke in the Police and fire Department has always been  employees  making their annual appointments with Doctor "Summeroff" to get an extended vacation with pay and benefits.

Many firefighters were concerned with Chief Freeman when he came in as to how his leadership and accountability would affect their "part time jobs". One Lieutenant just found out the hard way

It cost him his career.

Lt. John Moree, a 21 year veteran of the Hartford Fire Department, was terminated for alleged Workers Compensation Abuse.  Moree claimed he was unable to work due to an injury, but he was apparently caught on video lifting sheets of drywall at a Home Depot store.

Apparently, when Moree realized he had been caught like a rat going for the bait in the trap, he apparently quickly came up with an offer to retire. That would have allowed him to get of easy and maintain his paid healthcare for life and claim his unused sick and vacation time and the other benefits honorable and hardworking firefighters who retire from the City are allowed.

Moree was allegedly perpetrating a fraud on the people of Hartford and the Hartford Fire Department and to allow him the same benefits as firefighters that retire honorably would be a travesty and an injustice to employees that play by the rules.  Moree was terminated and not allowed to retire.

Moree isn't the first to be accused of  abusing the system. Ask any Hartford firefighter with integrity and they will probably rattle off a long list of names of abusers during their careers. And many of those names were most likely known to previous Chiefs who chose to ignore and in some cases enable the abusers.

Chief Freeman has also taken decisive action against other firefighters who failed to address their own issues and forced his hand. This past year has resulted in a couple of terminations for firefighters allegedly involved in drug use and one firefighter accused of an off duty drug transaction that resulted , allegedly, in his shooting, was also terminated by Freeman.

I had hoped that Chief Freeman was wrong on the termination of Jimmy Ngo, but according to law enforcement sources who have spoken to me on the condition that they remain anonymous, the layers of the onion may start getting peeled off as text messages and other electronic information  exposes a wider problem within HFD.

 I hope I am wrong, but I have every confidence that Chief Freeman will no longer cover for the "dirty little secrets" like his predecessors. It all goes back to the message of ACCOUNTABILITY that Reggie delivered to all of his firefighters from his first day on the job as Chief.

IT IS TIME FOR SOME NEW LEGISLATION

What is going on right now in Washington and even in Hartford is the height of incompetence and I would even say immorality.

Cities and Towns and even social service agencies that rely on a State budget to operate shouldn't be left in limbo, or more likely Hell, while they await the end of the game playing and political posturing at the Capitol.

I am going to focus on the actions, or more appropriately inaction at the Connecticut Capitol.

I think much of the current mess could be alleviated by some very simple Legislation.

In a year when a budget needs to be approved, no Legislative action will be taken, no Bills will be debated or voted on, until a Budget is passed and in place.

There, now wasn't that simple, gridlock avoided.

Why must they always wait until the final hours of the session to start working on what is most likely their number one, most important function as a legislature. When the deadline looms, they finally start working after they have collected a paycheck for months for what was most likely voluminous nonsense.

Sadly, our elected officials don't like to pass any legislation that will affect them. They are more interested in making our lives difficult by their inactions.

If they did , we would probably have term limits and legislation that would hold them much more accountable to the people that elect them

LUKE BRONIN'S DANGEROUS GAME OF RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH PUBLIC SAFETY IN HARTFORD

 

BRONIN FOR MAYOR- WERE WE PLAYED FOR FOOLS?

 

 

If you are going to run a campaign criticizing the previous Mayor for his lack of efforts related to Public Safety and promise to support Police and Fire efforts in hiring and be strong on Public Safety, then DAMN IT come through on what you promised.

Does anyone else remember Luke Bronin's publicized visits to homicide and shooting victims with the media following him during campaign season. Where are those visits now, or do crime victims only matter when you are running for votes claiming you are going to be tough on crime? Have I missed Bronin's visits to any of Hartford's 15 homicide victims families this year or even the numerous shooting victims, or maybe he is just not taking the media like he did at campaign time.

I think leaders can be measured by their character and actions AFTER they get elected, not before hand when they are busy conning the voters and busy buying their votes.

 I know, I know, how naive can I be. It is all part of the political game, say whatever you have to say to get elected and once you win you can forget everything you promised until the next election cycle.

Well, it is time we start paying attention to facts and not political rhetoric.

The fact is that both the Hartford Police and Fire Departments are in worse shape now that they were the day Luke Bronin took office.

Another fact is that Hartford is becoming more violent by the day. A 63 year old man , Jeff Worrell was  murdered this past Sunday. His gray matter splattered on a picnic table on Westland Street as he was enjoying a Sunday afternoon in a park. Shot in the head most likely by an 18 year old thug with a gun in his hand. Most likely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for Jeff Worrell, which makes it even more disgusting.

This most likely wasn't a case of a drug deal gone bad or some gang activity, instead it was most likely an 18 year old thug trying to prove how tough he was by being able to pull a trigger on an illegal handgun in his possession. He just happened to not be able to aim and hit the wrong person. Not the person that threw the bottle at his car that he was trying to hit, but instead  his bullet shattered the skull and spattered the brains of a 63 year old man enjoying a peaceful Sunday.

Much of that can be attributed to the growing lawlessness in Hartford.

Lawlessness that has so many root causes, but the lack of Police Officers on our streets is a big part of it. Despite Luke Bronin's campaign promises, we have probably seen 12 new police officers hired and hitting Hartford's Streets during the Bronin Administration. Another class of 14 is in the Academy now, but that is a far cry from the almost 150 officers the City is short. Add to that the lack of a police contract and the lack of support from City Hall for our police officers and I think you get the picture.  Those numbers have not provided any net gain for HPD as the attrition due to retirements and Officers leaving for other Departments has far outweighed any additional replacements.

There isn't a lot of pro-active policing going on under the Bronin "leadership" and neither is there a lot of spare time for it in a Police Department that is spread dangerously thin, and the same goes for the fire department also. Excessive fatigue is a potential recipe for disaster in both agencies.

Numerous "Shotspotter" activations  indicating actual gunshots are a regular and numerous daily occurrence in Hartford.

Yesterday, apparently 6 juveniles joy riding in a stolen SUV, mowed down a couple of pedestrians on Sigourney Street. According to a PD source, one of the victims had a leg amputated by the vehicle after it struck her. In a move that makes you wonder what values young people are being raised with, a young man was more intent on recording the severed leg and posting it to facebook than rendering any assistance to the victims laying on the sidewalk before EMS arrived

The class of 40 Fire recruits that was supposed to start in May actually started last Monday, but that is still a drop in the bucket to the numbers that are needed to restore HFD to the levels it needs to properly function without endangering other firefighters from fatigue. At last count, HFD is roughly 120 firefighters short. And a class of another 70 is needed to attain basic numbers. The City is waiting for approval on a Federal Grant to hire another 70, but there is no guarantee that will happen.

The Hartford Police Department is in a similar, if not worse, situation. The exact number varies depending on who you talk to, bust most estimates are that HPD is close to 150 officers short. Since Bronin has taken office, one Academy class of 14 officers has graduated and another class of 14 is currently in the Academy. Those numbers have not provided any net gain for HPD as the attrition due to retirements and Officers leaving for other Departments has far outweighed any additional replacements.

This attrition has resulted in fewer Community Service Officer's on the streets, the elimination of the pro-active Condition's Units, and overall a general reduction of Police presence on the streets of Hartford. Hartford's Animal Control Officers have also faced the axe due to budget cuts by Mayor Bronin.

Every day these conditions exist, Hartford Police Officers and Firefighters  face an increased risk of harm in their positions and the people of Hartford also face increased risks  by Bronin's false election promises.

It is time the Mayor is held accountable for statements he used and made to get elected.

According to Bronin's election website:   "Whether it’s the Department of Public Works, the Finance Department, or the Fire Department, we can’t try to ignore or hide our challenges or our weaknesses. We need to get under the hood, shine a light on the problems, and fix what’s broken.". I am not sure Luke has even been able to find the latch to open the hood yet because he hasn't done much to fix the problems.

It still seems to be "the sky is falling" mantra. Give me what I want or I'll declare Bankruptcy is what we keep hearing, but I haven't seen much done yet to change or fix Hartford's structural challenges. After almost two years into the Bronin Administration, the whining is wearing thin. Luke , you were elected to do a job, not put on your big boy pants and  do it.

In your first "State of the City" address in 2016, you stated "

"In years past, we might have hoped for relief from the State of Connecticut. Today, the State of Connecticut faces its own crisis, and the best we can probably hope for is to avoid getting cut.

 

We can’t expect any bailouts from the State."

 

Yet this year you further indebted the City of Hartford by borrowing millions of dollars based on a promise from a Legislator that money was coming from the State. That promise was never fulfilled  and it doesn't look like it will be any time soon and quite frankly, I think Legislators are tired of your stunts at the Capitol and I still have the text messages on my phone to prove it ( but no one is ever going to see those because I understand confidentiality).

 

So again Luke, I have to ask you, "What is your plan?"

 

And running around threatening bankruptcy and yelling the sky is falling, is not a plan, if it were , we would have the $ 50 million dollar payments coming in that the large corporations promised when you come up with a viable plan for sustainability.

 

 Forget your future political aspirations and start doing the job you were elected to do for the people of Hartford, it probably won't move you up the political ladder as you had hoped, but it is what you promised. And I am sure as your parents tried to raise you right, you were told "your word is your bond " and "integrity matters". So now live up to it and stop being a politician.

 

Lives depend on it

Two more people were the most recent innocent victims of Hartford's senseless violence and lawlessness. I believe that yellow plastic in the foreground is covering the severed leg of one of the victims. The same body parts that a young man was recording to post on Facebook, before EMS covered it.

 

 

QUICK WORK BY HPD- SUSPECT IN CUSTODY

 

 

Jorge Burgos, a Hartford resident is in custody.

Burgos was apparently a "person of interest" wanted in questioning related to Sunday afternoons homicide of 63 year old Jeff Worrell.

Burgos was initially located in a stolen vehicle on Coleman Drive in Hartford. Burgos fled as he was approached by officers, ramming two HPD cruisers and eluding police. The stolen vehicle was eventually located several hours later , unoccupied, on Harold Street in Hartford. The vehicle was located a short distance from Burgos's mothers house at 597 Blue Hills Avenue. A subsequent search of that address turned up empty for Burgos.

Burgos was eventually located later in the day and taken into custody on charges related to the earlier chase and vehicle theft.

No charges have been filed yet for any  involvement in the homicide.

THE OLYMPIAN AND MY SISTER ON "WE THE PEOPLE"

This weeks "WE THE PEOPLE" program is one that I am very proud of.

 Not so much because of the program, but more because of the content.

 My guests today were my sister, Sheryl Haraghey and her son Andrew.

Andrew has qualified for the Winter Paralympics to be held in South Korea in 2018 Andrew is a downhill Alpine skier.

 For regular readers of the blog, I have written about Andrew's endeavors as he has worked toward his goal of competing in the Paralympics. Andrew and his fellow skiers will be competing on the same slopes and venues used weeks earlier by the 2018 Winter Olympic competitors.

 In this interview we discuss Andrew's life with Cerebral Palsy and his mother and his family's efforts to support him in his quest to ski and eventually compete.

 Andrew is an amazing young man who has met life's challenges head on and excelled in meeting his goals and has been an inspiration to almost everyone who has had the opportunity to meet him.

 You can read more about his efforts at http://andrewraces.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/andrew.races There is also a link there if anyone would wish to help sponsor Andrew in his fundraising efforts for costs associated with the Paralympics  (roughly $10,000.00) https://www.gofundme.com/andrewraces. To those who have been there the last several years supporting Andrew's quest, Thank you. And or those of you willing to donate, Thank you in advance for helping make Andrew's dreams and goals come true.