Last night, or more precisely, early this morning, numerous vehicles were vandalized and spray painted with the letters "BLM" in the rear parking lot for the Hartford Police Department. This vandalism included HPD vehicles as well as Officer's personal vehicles. I am not going to get into all of the details of the incident, but apparently a 17 year old has been arrested in the incident.
More troubling to me is more the issue of how it happened. How was a 17 year old able to get into a supposedly secure are and vandalize vehicles for an extended period. Operating undetected in front of a Police Department facility that I would hope we all thought was safe.
Well as it turns out, most of our driveways are about as safe, or safer. than the Hartford Police Parking area. The lot is supposed to be secured by chain link fence metal gates that are opened and closed by a key card access control system. Apparently those gates have been broken for months and no one was concerned enough to make the calls to get them fixed. As well as security cameras to cover the area. A 12 foot high fence covers the back are along the railroad tracks
Those broken gates allowed anyone that wanted to walk in or drive into the supposedly "secure" area. Did no one notice they were broken. Did no supervisor or member of the command staff look out the window or drive by and maybe say to themselves "hmmm. I wonder why the secure gates are always open?"
What about the Deputy Chief whose job and responsibility it is to maintain the building? Where was he? Too busy buffing the chrome trailer hitch on his prized Bomb Squad truck? This is inexcusable. If someone is making over $130,000 to do a job and he doesn't do that job, then it is the Police Chief's job to hold him accountable, and that doesn't usually happen at HPD. The only people held accountable are the low men and women on the totem pole ( is that analogy politically incorrect now a days?) The higher ups are never touched.
Thody has no trouble coming down on the little people, but if you're one of his boys with a take home Tahoe, you're all set.
For years, ever since 253 High Street opened as the new Public Safety Headquarters, the Command Staff had a fenced in deck on the second level of the parking garage. Very secure, well maintained, properly plowed in the winter. The rank and file, the little people of HPD, mostly patrol officers, have had to park in a dirt lot across from the front entrance. An unsecured dirt lot, no gates no direct cameras except what is on the front of 253 High Street, complete with ankle busting pot holes and hazards. Many Officer's cars have been broken into in that lot.
But who cares as long as the Chief and the Command Staff can park comfortably in their secure parking area.
As an issue of Officer safety, the gates need to be repaired immediately, the rear lot should be cleared of any unnecessary vehicles and space should be made for Hartford Police Officers to be able to park their personal vehicles securely while working. There is room to accommodate that and it should be done ASAP and those responsible for failing to maintain the facility need to be held accountable.
Much of the "junk" that occupies space behind 253 High Street could very easily be moved to 40 or 50 Jennings Road to free up space
The safety and well being of our Police Officers, if we really appreciate them, requires nothing less. Again, it is an officer safety issue