We hear a lot of phrases thrown about when it comes to Hartford's image, "Quality of Life " is probably one of the big ones when it comes to living in Hartford, but is just a catch phrase? How does one measure the quality of life?
Is it measured by how safe people feel in their homes or neighborhoods? Is it measured by being able to cross the streets without being rundown in a crosswalk by a reckless driver ? Is it by being able to stop at a traffic light without panhandlers accosting you and your vehicle? Is it by being able to spend anytime outside of your house without hearing gunshots? Is it being able to fall asleep at night without illegal fireworks rattling your windows?
If so Hartford is failing big time by those parameters.
The recent outbreak or more likely epidemic of car breaks and thefts this past week in Hartford does not enhance the quality of life in Luke's Kingdom. If anything, especially to anyone coming into the City and witnessing the shattered auto glass and vehicles sitting on rims after their tires are stolen only serves as evidence that the recent crime bill is not working.
As in the past, prior to the Democrats pushing a poorly designed bill through. Previously, Police Officers were able to stop suspicious vehicles at 3:00am as they lurked in neighborhoods and behind buildings. Now our Officer's have been handcuffed by the Legislature. Many officers are reluctant to stop a vehicle ,unsure of whether or not they will be supported by their administration for doing their jobs
Welcome to Hartford, get used to it. It probably isn't going to change for the better anytime soon
100% accurate!
ReplyDeleteGREAT SEEING THE CHIEFS AT THANKSGIVING ROLL CALLS
ReplyDeleteNEVERMIND DID NOT BOTHER SHOWING UP
2:32PM
ReplyDeleteCome on, be fair , it is the Holiday season. If you were at roll call, you must be a Police Officer so you must know that DUI Checkpoints are stepped up around the holidays, Is it really worth risking the trip from Haddam and bouncing off guard rails just to show a bunch of Patrol Officers that you care about them as their Chief. Those days are gone with the likes of Deputy Chiefs Neville Brooks and Joe Buyak who regularly attended to boost morale on Holidays
Buyak maybe but not the Tyrant
ReplyDeleteWho needs the Chief when you have Cicero! He removed all the “dead weight” from Major Crimes as he said during his Zoom meeting with the City Council. I wonder if the City Council knew he was talking about minorities that he targeted? Give a fool the spotlight and he will sink himself.
ReplyDeleteWhy is he taking all the credit for what Sgt. Rykowski is doing in Major Crimes?
If Luke Bronin and Peewee Herman had a baby.....
I don’t much post here anymore. Get boring when posters keep sniping and gossiping about higher up in HPD or HFD. But I will have at it with your comment.
ReplyDeleteI feel in an unenviable place in that I want police to be effective and to be supportive, yet I also want much needed police reform. One can want both. And hopefully, we’ll have it. It’s not either or. I recall a conversation I had with a cop a few years back. It was friendly and remained so. But I soon realized the condescending attitude of this white officer towards patrolling in the North End. I gathered from that conversation that he shouldn’t even be a cop and that one day, he would probably overstep his authority.
You say, Mr. Brookman, that the legislature has stripped officers of the tools to do their job. Why don’t you instead, weigh in about the inability to get rid of bad cops? And there are bad ones whether you believe it or not. We need reform. We need arbitration boards who will sustain a complaint against an officer who has exceeded his authority and get rid of him instead of sending him/her back to the force because his job and benefits of course, is more important than termination. We need more accountability with district attorneys who often rubber stamp the behavior of bad cops. And in 2022 when the union contract comes up for renewal, we need to be able to you guessed it, be able to deal more effectively with the bad apples so they don’t contaminate the good apples.
Bill Katz , You stated “ I recall a conversation with a cop “ then your whole comment went to shit and lost credibility when you then state in the next sentence “ the condescending attitude of this WHITE OFFICER towards patrolling the North End” . Bill Katz you write as though your educated but your content is a stellar example of the common mans stupidity in understanding law enforcement . Bill Katz are you that ignorant to believe that only a “white officer” can come to the realization through his or her experiences that the majority of the North End is a lost cause and/or a shithole? No black or brown officers have a negative opinion on the North End ? Only WHITE COPS have this innate ability ? And therein lies the problem. Until we educate the Bill Katz’s of our communities we are going to continue to be exposed to this cop-hating false narrative they attempt to deliver shamelessly .
ReplyDeleteHey Bill Katz, that is a pretty big assumption, thinking that officer would probably overstep his authority one day. Since it was your first time talking to him maybe he had just finished a challenging call and was letting off a little emotional energy. Maybe people have thought that you are ill suited for your job, whatever that may be. Either way, that officer has probably done more good for the City of Hartford and its residents than you ever did, or ever will. It is so easy to sit back, second guess, and criticize.
ReplyDeleteMr. Katz, I read your comment and felt the need to reply. You mention that you want the Police to be effective and to be supportive. Not sure how that is possible when they "appear" to have zero backing from those that they work for. I'm not just referring to the administration, but also the community. Show me the last time the Police were involved in a "Politically Incorrect" situation and both the administration and the community rallied behind the Officer.
ReplyDeleteYou speak of police Reform, the major problem is that those who are making the reform have zero understanding of what the Officer's job entails (how many hospitals have mechanics on their oversight boards?). The State of Connecticut, in its infinite wisdom, enacted legislation based on an incident that occurred 2000 miles away.
You add "getting rid of bad cops" I'm not sure what your definition of a "bad cop" is? Last I recall, they, like you were entitled to due process. Years back the community screamed for body cameras, they then realized that the cameras were actually proving that the cops were acting appropriately. In Washington DC the NAACP & ACLU tried to get rid of the cameras because it went against their notion that the cops were hiding something.
You should petition the city, at the next contract negotiation, to have the authority to fire cops at will, based solely on a complaint, which lacks any evidence. That should certainly assist in getting rid of ALL the bad cops.
WELCOME TO HARTFORD? WELCOME TO THE CAPITAL (OF CRIME).
ReplyDeleteQUALITY OF LIFE? NON-EXISTENT IN HARTFORD.
Mr Katz, You obviously have no personal experience with or immediate family members in HPD or HFD ,if so you wouldn’t belittle or disregard what lower rank members contribute on this blog. Mr. Katz who do you think provides Kevin Brookman with the majority of factual content on this blog regarding HPD and HFD? If your a taxpayer or truly care about Hartford you should be outraged by the comments and inspired to call Hartford’s leadership to support Hartford’s Police and Fire departments, instead you claim your “bored” with the “sniping and gossiping” while reading comments. Mr Katz, how can truthful comments supported by facts be confused with sniping and gossiping? I will trust the word of a entry level patrol cop or firefighter over a “higher up “ any day of the week . Most of the higher ups are excellent test takers or fart sniffers and that’s about all their good for . But I wouldn’t expect you to know this as your most likely “friends” with some of these higher ups and impressed with bugles and stars.
ReplyDeleteNice commentary by Martin Miller.
ReplyDeletePolice in Hartford do not appear to be supported by any local politicians because it’s too easy to bash them. A political structure that sees every use of force as abuse w/o knowing the facts. Officers don’t feel supported by their own administration and that feeling has a chilling effect on what officers do on the street. One example was the July 4th incident when criminals threw fireworks at uniformed police officers and the officers were told to withdraw. In other times offices would have regrouped and responded to that scene arresting those responsible.
Katz complains about the condescending attitude by the officer in the north end. Maybe the officer was
trying to get rid of a character that he knew was not a friend. Katz must be a magician as to develop an opinion of an officer from a brief encounter on the street.
Have a nice day
Hi Chris Lyons and Martin Miller,
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing your names unlike the others too ashamed to show their names. It’s too easy to cherry pick the negatives while ignoring the positives. I know many if not most cops are honest, hard working, and doing dangerous work. The work might be less dangerous if law enforcement would join with those of us perennially seeking major gun reform to make the nation less a Wild West nation and more a civilized one. But as I’ve read, many rank and file actually support strong 2nd amendment bullshit.
Martin, I never said that anyone wasn’t entitled to due process. You are putting words in my mouth. I do say that the system has been set up to always find in favor of the police officer and return him to the force. A local District Attorney even participated in these non investigations and closures. I wonder who was paying her off. Chris, if someone was tossing firecrackers at cops, they should have been arrested and charged with serious crimes. I can’t figure why you are so upset with me. I support good policing. But I also support GETTING RID OF THE BAD COPS. I need to do caps so everyone can read clearly.
As to my negatives, remember one thing. I pay for your employment and while I remain in this city, I will criticize and express my opinion whenever I want. We do not live in a police state as much as some of you might want. We have seen enough crazy police behavior killing people mostly my Black brothers and sisters and I hope these new restrictions being implemented continue until there is sufficient process to GET RID OF BAD COPS. Get it? if you don’t like the heat, get the hell out of the kitchen and get another fricken job. Some of you people make me fricken sick. The only thing you care about is your pay and your benefits and your pension. And you will protect each other (that solid blue line) regardless of the wrongs committed.
And by the way, gentlemen and ladies, don’t bother responding to my comments because I won’t open this blog again.
ReplyDeletePS: And since we’re having such a polite conversation, let me lob one last incendiary device your way especially since y’all are calling me Professor Katz. If any of you have ever served in combat, you are psychologically unfit to be a police officer. You likely suffer from some level of PTSD and that is incongruous with the sudden demands of policing. Get off the force and find another job. Boy, I would love to be in a room having this productive conversation with y’all big bad asses. Who the hell do you think you are? Has no one ever taught you good table manners?
ReplyDeleteMr Katz, what you and other people don't understand is to restrict guns only takes them from the law abiding citizens. Criminals who use guns don't care about the laws.
ReplyDeleteDrugs are illegal and controlled. Look how that's working out. Cops understand this because it's our job to deal with criminals, so you don't have to.
Bill Katz must have an incredible gift in which he can deem someone unfit to serve as a police officer because they served in combat and likely have PTSD. He can also tell from a single conversation with a police officer that he will one day overstep his authority. I have the same gift as Mr. Katz, fortunately, and am able to tell by his postings that Mr. Katz will one day drive intoxicated and hurt innocent people. See how ridiculous you and your assumptions really are Mr. Katz? Oh, and I am sure that despite you saying you will not access this blog again, you really will.
ReplyDeleteWaiting for the NEW Eruption to start, in the Hartford Fire Department, Give the Hartford Police Department a break, and this one supposedly starts at the TOP !!
ReplyDelete@8:33
ReplyDeleteYour argument has more holes in it than... I’ll be respectful since you made a honest position. Did you know that up to 65% of all guns used in criminal shootings in Connecticut were stolen from legitimate gun owners? So how do you square that hole? Why is it that every advanced democracy in the world that has strong gun laws have much much lower killing resulting from gun violence?. Your argument doesn’t hold up.
The ole perennial argument about the 2nd amendment has been bastardized in meaning when written “...a well regulated milita... and in the 18th century was a nod to a State reserve not ad hoc mercenaries. But even if it was purposely vague which it isn’t, I would argue that we as a nation no longer fearful of invasions from Canada or Mexico, Geronimo is no longer a threat, Britain is our friend and we don’t even need to go into the woods to shoot game for survival. The game is now in plenty at your local Costco. All reasons to have a rifle at the ready over the wood fireplace. So there is no longer much of a reason to arm and load. It’s a foolish notion. The Libertarians will tell you that we must prepare for a government attack. Oh my God, so you want everyone armed to the teeth? What a sorry-ass position to believe.
@1:30
ReplyDeleteYes I couldn’t stay away from the pure enjoyment of keyboard warfare in the brief age of Covid.
Cheers.
“ Fear Gives Intellgence Even To Fools” , this famous often referred to quote was created by an author who remains anonymous , Mr Katz was he ashamed to share it with others? Anonymous poets,authors and commentators have one intent ,that the content of their words matter more than who wrote them. Mr Katz I also believe your reading these replies. Mr Katz please go get an education,year after year more white males than black males are killed in criminal encounters with law enforcement . I bet you don’t know the name of one of these white males. Mr. Katz as far as paying for police protection in Hartford , I PAY FOR HALF AND I DONT EVEN LIVE IN HARTFORD,,You freeloaders get half your operating budget subsidized by the rest of us in CT.I also pay for the shitbag criminals using the revolving door of arrest and release . You think a Hartford cops pay,benefits and pension are expensive ,, how much do the Leroy “Got arrested 150 Times” Mimms cost taxpayers? I also noticed you didn’t want to address your biased and racist comment about the “white cop” you encountered. And FOR GODS SAKE next time your going to expose your stupity ,,,,,USE THE ANONYMOUS OPTION !!
ReplyDeleteBill, countries with stronger gun laws having less crime is a correlation, not a causation. It's a nice handy stat the anti gun folks like to use but the reason the gun violence is lower in other countries goes much deeper than their gun control laws.
ReplyDeleteIt has to do with factors such as culture, families, crime rates in general, drug saturation, as well as having and enforcing real penalties on gun crimes. The fact we are very soft on criminals in most of this country has a bigger impact on crime rates and illegal gun use than any gun laws do.
As far as 65% of guns being stolen. If we removed every single gun in this countries they would be shipped in. Again just like drugs. If we could magically remove every gun from existence, then yeah I would agree, gun crime would go down but as long as guns exist criminals will find them.
By the way, Mexico has some of the strongest gun laws in the world. Yet also has the worse gun crime statistics. Why, because the laws mostly impact the honest folks. They are called criminals for a reason. And before you say "but Mexico isn't an advanced democracy" that reply would be supporting my case. It's not the gun laws themselves it's other factors.
We have seen enough crazy police behavior killing people mostly my Black brothers and sisters
ReplyDeleteWhat? You need to educate youself buddy and stop thinking the news qualifies as education. I challenge you to look up the police shooting data youself, straight from the FBI crime statistics, and stop listening to BLM.
In no way does the term "Quality of Life" relate to the severity of the problems plaguing Hartford. I owned property and lived in the South End for 5 years. I worked with neighbors and police in an attempt to address issues of criminality: rampant drug trafficking, shootings, prostitution, gang activity, break-ins, etc. The streets were overrun with thugs. Narcotics detectives did NOTHING, month after month, year after year, to shut down drug trafficking operations in houses that were identified all over the neighborhood. Whether it due was corruption or lack of political will, I don't know. I finally realized that despite our best efforts nothing was going to change and I got out. The best view of Hartford is in the rear view mirror!
ReplyDeleteWell LeRoy Mims is a contender for One of Hartford’s most problematic citizens for the community and Hartford Police.
ReplyDeleteHe was a constant police problem since he was a teenager with mostly crimes like Breach of Peace, Assault
3, Assault on Police and many other minor crimes. He was also a known burglar and a one man
quality of life destroyer for anyone around him. He stuck to his area, Bellevue Square and Mary Shepard
Place as his area to operate and reached his zenith by getting convicted of home invasion in 2017. He will
be incarcerated until 2027 and will be 67 if he gets out. There are a lot of problematic criminals like Mims
in the city. Incorrigible.
Mims was a constant low level criminal who had the rep of being dangerous and without thought about how
just his actions caused so much harm. He was part of criminal lore and the mention of the Mims name
was reason to use caution for any officer dealing with him.
Maybe dealing with characters like him daily would make any officer a little careful and not so effervescent
when talking to anyone. Hundreds of officers have dealt with this menace. Thousands of Hartford residents
have been adversely affected by his behavior. One man who caused so much misery and it’s good for the city
that he is out of circulation.
Bill Katz @ 7:54 PM , your reasoning suggests no one should legally own anything that a criminal could steal and use dangerously . Are we law abiding citizens also responsible for our cars being hot wired ,stolen and then involved in a crime ? How about the bicycle stolen from my locked garage and utilized by drug couriers ? Do I I have blood on my hands for the steak knife used in a homicide that was stolen from my kitchen drawer from the burglar who broke in? Who’s argument REALLY doesn’t hold up? It’s actually sad that I don’t think you understand responses to your comments. ALSO,,, 3:28 A M The blame lies squarely with our courts and lack of consequences NOT narcotics detectives,please refer to Chris Lyon’s comment related to LeRoy Mims ,you’ll see that HPD did their job ,,, 150 TIMES!!!
ReplyDeleteEveryone should own a gun or two. I’m even training my six year old to be a responsible gun owner. I hope she grows up one day to be a police officer.
ReplyDelete@7:22
ReplyDeleteMaybe the discussion becomes more reasonable when it revolves around banning assault-like rifles and semiautomatic handguns like many other developed nations. Let’s return to revolvers for protection. That way, the paranoids in society can have their pea shooters to fortify a basic inner insecurity and siege mentality. The rest of us can enjoy a safer world.
How about it, ladies and germs?
7:22 AM , You must be kin to Bill Katz. 7:22 AM , QUESTION ,,, If we put speed governors on all motor vehicles will that eliminate the “MAJOR” cause of vehicular related crimes ,injuries and deaths???? Shitbags will continue the same behavior at 30 MPH as they do at 100 MPH . The style of gun and/or assault device used has no bearing on our society it’s the uncivilized thug that does. What schools did you people go to? And no , “ you people” isn’t referring to skin color ,,, I’m refering to the content in your brain matter
ReplyDelete