MAYOR LUKE BRONIN'S FAILED EXPERIMENT

 

                               HARTFORD POLICE CHIEF JASON THODY AND HIS BOSS

You won't read this too often here, but Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin should be commended for appointing a Police Chief from within the ranks of the Hartford Police Department. Unfortunately, Bronin's experiment to appoint Jason Thody as Hartford's Police Chief a little over a year ago has been a colossal failure.

Bronin was pushed into appointing a Chief after his previous Chief , retired State Police Lieutenant Colonel David Rosado experienced the culture shock known as the Hartford Police Department. Rosado abruptly resigned after his short tenure as Chief.

 Rosado's hand picked Assistant Chief, Raphael Medina, was not chosen for the permanent Chief Position. 

For whatever reason, Bronin chose to appoint what many both within HPD and the Hartford community saw as very flawed choice. Bronin chose Jason Thody as his Police Chief.

Thody had a very checkered past during his previous tenure as a HPD officer, including but not limited to off duty bar fights and abusive behavior toward his fellow officers. Those incidents were well documented and Thody was actually demoted as punishment. 

It didn't get much better after Thody became Chief and his off duty, unreported evading accident over the summer came to light after being discovered by this blog writer. The ensuing alleged coverup  and the witness's alleged DUI claim and lack of discipline didn't do too much to set an example of leadership for the men and women of HPD.

Hartford Police Department morale appears to be at an all time low. The Department which was once the Pride of Law Enforcement in Connecticut appears to be in free fall under Thody's leadership, or should I say lack of leadership.

Department recruitment which was making progress previously under Chief's Rovella and Rosado now appears to have made a complete about face as trained officers, including many hard sought after minority and female candidates are leaving in record numbers. Rovella's efforts have been eviscerated by Thody's incompetence. Estimates claim that upwards of 50 Officers have left in the last year, not due to retirements but more the desire to move on to other Departments and better management and working conditions.

It is also highly troublesome to see the number of pending lawsuits and CHRO complaints currently pending against Chief Thody  and Assistant Chief Medina and others,  claiming discrimination  and underhanded tactics.. How much will these lawsuits cost the people of Hartford in the end? Does anyone at City Hall care? In any organization there will always be disgruntled employees but the HPD numbers seem to be extraordinary, 

The sad part is that neither Bronin or the Hartford City Council seem to be asking "WHY"? They probably don't want to know the answers.

But all they have to do is talk to the rank and file Officers and they would probably get some answers.

The answers have recently been documented in an Internal Report authored by a HPD Sergeant, Gio Discenzo.. Sgt. Discenzo was tasked by Captain Michael Coates with setting up a focus group to find out what morale was like in the Department and document the results. The report is eye opening for anyone wishing to read it

Although I have requested the report through a Freedom of Information request, Thody and his Department have refused to release it. After reading the report, I think you will figure out why Thody and his Command Staff do not want this report to see the light of day. Luckily , I was able to obtain the report through "alternative means". I am not posting the document as I received it in order to protect my source, instead, I am cutting and pasteing the body of the narrative. 

I have been asked by my source to redact the specific names of the Officers in the focus group, and I agreed to do that.

TO:  Captain Michael Coates

               Commander, Patrol Division

                               

FROM:           Sergeant Giovanni DiCenso 

                        North Patrol Supervisor      

                       

DATE:           March 1, 2021

                       

SUBJECT:     Patrol Morale Focus Group                       

  I have been tasked by Captain Coates to form a Patrol Morale Focus Group. The mission of this focus group is to determine areas within the patrol division that create low morale and ways to improve it. For this focus group I selected a diverse group of officers. These officers range from newer to senior officers, and I selected two from each shift. I wanted to get feedback from officers in different stages of their careers and possible issues on different shifts. These officers reached out to fellow officers to inquire as to why moral was low and ways to improve it. Officer Theodore Sposito was included in this focus group representing the Hartford Police Union. I contacted Officer Theresa Velez, Hartford Police EAP Coordinator, to get her feedback from complaints that she has received regarding low morale issues. Information I received from Officer Velez has been incorporated into this report. I also contacted Lieutenant Marisol Rodriguez-Velez, Commander of Career Development Division, for her feedback in recruiting and working with these newer officers, which was also incorporated into this report. Officers in this focus group are:

 

            A Squad: *********************,***************

            B Squad: **************************,*****************

            C Squad: *******************, **********************

            Union: ************************    

      ***NAMES OF INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS REDACTED AT MY SOURCES REQUEST(KB)

 

Employee morale is related to the satisfaction, outlook, and feelings of well-being an employee has while at work. Employee morale has a direct effect on workplace productivity and can be experienced on an individual level or as a group.

 

Pay, Pension, Healthcare Insurance

 

Pay: Officers salaries were a major concern for low moral. Officers feel they are not paid fairly compared to surrounding towns. Officers in Hartford stated they respond to a greater amount of calls for service, increased liability, and have a greater risk of being involved in a physical altercation, possibly being seriously injured, than surrounding towns. The officers stated they

do more work, take greater risk, and are paid well below what other towns offer. A patrol officer in Hartford receives $ 71,500 at top pay. Below are listed the salaries of surrounding towns for a patrol officer. These salaries are listed on online recruitment pages posted on Police 1 and Police App.

 

• Berlin Police Department  $ 85,000
• Rocky Hill Police Department  $ 95,000
• Wethersfield Police Department  $ 89,000
• Manchester Police Department  $ 83,000
• West Hartford Police Department  $91,000
• East Hartford Police Department  $ 81,000
• Simsbury Police Department  $ 95,000
• Newington Police Department  $ 93,000

 

Hartford Police Department has recently seen many newer officers leave the police department for employment with other towns at an alarming rate. Officers in this focus group stated there are currently large amounts of officers applying, or in the process, with surrounding towns. I spoke to Lieutenant Rodriguez-Velez, Commander of Career Development Division. She stated since 2020, twenty-three (23) officers have left the department. She stated she spoke to these officers and the main reason was because of low pay in Hartford. These officers stated just by leaving and working for another town they received up to a $ 20,000 pay raise. Many of these officers were female minorities. Lieutenant Rodriguez-Velez stated the recruitment team puts in tireless effort into recruiting people to apply for the Hartford Police Department. She stated the recruitment team works with these recruits to help the applicants in passing all the steps necessary to move on to the police academy. Nationwide there is a shortage of applicants applying to be a police officer and it is very difficult to get possible candidates to apply in Hartford when competing against surrounding towns. She stated it is frustrating to see these newer officers graduate the police academy, pass the Field Training program, and then see them leave our police department shortly after.

 

Recently even veteran officers have been leaving the Hartford Police Department. The focus group stated this is due to the low pay. Another issue was not feeling appreciated by the citizens of Hartford, the Command Staff and City Hall. Veteran officers stated they do not feel supported and are concerned about the Civilian Review Board, citizens who are not trained in police work (policy and procedure, state laws, training, etc), but will be deciding if the officer acted appropriately. They are also concerned about the Police Accountability Act and how that will impact them.  

 

To improve morale the officer’s salaries will need to be comparable to surrounding towns. If not, officers will continue to leave the police department for surrounding towns at a high rate. This will result in more officers being ordered in. This focus group could not understand why exit interviews are not being done with officers that are leaving. They felt if this were done the city would have a better understanding of why officers are leaving for surrounding towns.

 

 

Pension: Officers stated another reason morale is low is because of the pension plan for newer officers. The newer officers complained of the current pension plan and how it is calculated for their retirement. They also stated when they can begin to receive their pension is another major factor in low morale and newer officers leaving.

 

The department’s goal, and any police department for that matter, is to attract and hire much younger individuals for service purposes. However, this means a younger officer would work for 25 years and must wait years before they could collect their pension compensation. Their salary would not allow them to buy back years to begin collecting at 51 years old.

 

The focus group determined to improve morale the newer officers need to be put in the same pension plan as the veteran officers.

 

Healthcare Insurance: Insurance is very costly for all officers in the police department. Officers in the PPO Plan have seen their rates tripled in the past few years. Officers received a raise last year but lost money because the rate of insurance in that plan went up higher than the raise received. In January 2017, an officer paid $55.85 for the family plan a week. Currently, that same plan costs $ 156.25 a week. Officers in the HSA Plan state the rate an employee needs to contribute is very expensive.

 

The focus group asked why the city does not get rates from insurance companies for all city employees as one large group. This may lower everyone’s rate since there are a larger number of employees in one group than having the different unions negotiate their own rates with smaller numbers of employees.

 

A common line used by officers who have left Hartford is “After all the risk, there’s no reward to stay in Hartford.”

 

Vehicles

 

 The Hartford Police Department has a major issue with vehicles in the patrol division. These officers stated finding a spare vehicle when the main unit number vehicle is deadlined is very frustrating and time consuming. The spare vehicles have high mileage, some over 100,000 miles, and are in poor condition; seats are torn and uncomfortable, some of the equipment does not work, and the interior is very dirty. The patrol division has not seen an influx of newer vehicles in years. They feel bandages are being placed on vehicles and returned to be used by the patrol officers, making them feel unsafe. These officers stated they accept these vehicles because this is all they have to use.  The officers expressed they are very concerned about vehicles because they spend the majority of their workday in them.

 

This focus group recommends we should contact surrounding towns and buy their used vehicles. By doing this we will always have vehicles being added to the fleet every year and it would also be cheaper than buying new vehicles. A safety inspection would be done, and just minor changes need to be made to identify them as Hartford police vehicles. Also, vehicles should be on a schedule to have the interior detailed and equipment inspected. A suggestion was to have officers on compensatory time cleaning police vehicles. Also, does the City of Hartford have grant writers to help with this?

 

Field Training Officers

 

Field Training Officers (FTO) has a great responsibility when they are assigned a Probationary Police Officer (PPO). They are responsible for the PPO’s safety, training, and laying the foundation that will affect the PPO for his entire career. The FTO then recommends if the PPO should be advanced to the next phase in the PPO program, and eventually on their own. Good candidates asked to be FTO’s usually do not want the great responsibility when the extra pay is    $ 34.00 for the day. Over the years, many officers have declined or dropped their FTO position because the common theme is there is no satisfactory monetary reward.

 

This focus group recommends the FTO should be paid at a rate of 2.5 % higher for doing this important job. As soon as an officer becomes an FTO he would receive the raise. This will also help in getting good officers to become FTO’s.

 

Order-Ins

 

This past year officers were getting ordered in at an alarming rate never seen before. Part of this reason is because of the numerous officers that have left, depleting the patrol staffing roster. The order-in goes by seniority so newer officers, who do not have as much experience, are being held over, sometimes numerous times during the week. This occurs either after their regular shift or on a day off when they are ordered in. This focus group is very concerned with this practice. They feel this newer officer will be tired and make poor decisions because they are being over worked so often. The focus group was also concerned that officers were being ordered in on their days off. They stated an officer needs his days off to rest physically and mentally and enjoy time with their family and friends.

 

This focus group recommends that an officer can be held over one-time starting on Sunday till Saturday, and then the order-ins would reset. The officer would only be held over only after his regular shift. They stated if an officer is on his days off, he should not be ordered in. They also stated that an officer ordered-in should be paid at an overtime rate of top patrolman’s pay. This excludes events that require police coverage in the interest of public safety; parades, road races, etc.

 

Recognition

 

Officers stated they could not remember the last time an awards ceremony was held. They stated several officers they know were involved in high-risk incidents where their lives were at risk or saved someone else’s life. These officers have not been acknowledged in any way. Currently, there is an awards committee in the Hartford Police Department. Officers feel the awards committee has done a poor job in recognizing great police work.

 

This focus group recommends a new awards committee should be formed with people who want to be involved. Officers want to be recognized for great work. Minor awards could be given out at roll call in front of their peers with a description of the incident. Police Merit Award and above should be conducted at a ceremony so their family and peers can attend. An academy graduation would be perfect for this since it will be great motivation for the new officers graduating. Major awards should be given out every 6 months.

 

Rotate Senior Officers

 

Because Hartford has a high volume and high-risk of calls for service, senior officers feel they get burnt out and at times need a break from patrol. Officers go on 10 to 20 calls a shift, dealing with people having their “worst day.” These senior officers have been doing this for numerous years, sometimes seeing the worst in people. The officer then documents the incident and moves on to the next call. Officers are also upset that people on light duty have made a career out of it, taking up positions that officers could rotate through.

 

This focus group recommends senior officers could be rotated for three months to different divisions within the department. This will allow for officers to recharge themselves and learn new positions and responsibility. The different divisions are the courts, property room, private jobs, crime analysis unit, etc. This would also help if the permanent officer went on vacation, injured, etc; there would be an officer who could fill the vacancy. This also enhances an officer’s growth and development within the department.  

 

Supervisor Issues

 

Officers feel that sergeants need to show a better interest in them. Officers want a supervisor who understands them and wants to assist them in their career path. They feel sergeants are not interested in developing officers to the next level and guiding them to get there.

 

This focus group recommends better training for sergeants. Sergeants should be given leadership and management training for improvement. Sergeants should be meeting with their officers on a weekly basis to see how they are doing and if there are any issues. They should take this time to ask the officer what other interests they have in the department and ways they could work together to accomplish this. The sergeant should recommend training classes for the officer and work on any deficiencies the officer may have.

 

Also, a retention/career development position could be created. This individual would be excited and enthusiastic about what the Hartford Police Department has to offer. In this position the individual would meet with newer officers to get feedback on how they are progressing and help in retaining them. They would also assist officers with their career goals. 

 

 

 

 

Police Accountability Act, Civilian Review Board

 

Officers are highly concerned with the new Police Accountability Act and the Civilian Review Board that has been in place and empowered. There are several unknowns involved with each group, and officers are worried they will lose their career and personal belongings. Officers feel these items are impacting how they do their job and the split-second decisions they need to make. They are greatly concerned that a civilian review board that has no police training will review the officer’s actions, which need to make split second decisions, and will be judged after. 

 

This focus group recommends officers should be given better training in regard to these groups. A training day that explains how these groups will affect police work and ways officers can protect themselves. This should include if an officer is called in front of the Civilian Review Board, what are his rights and what should he expect during the process. Officers should not feel foreign to the civilian review board and not having the expectation as if it is a pre-trial. This only further escalates the stress level already on officers. A familiarity with the process helps to eradicate this kind of stereotype and gives officers a sense of relief to perform their duties better.

 

Vacation Time, Snow Days

 

Officers of this focus group feel since we need to complete twenty-five years of service, an extra week of vacation time should be given at the twenty-year mark. Also, when the city is closed due to poor weather and the mayor declares non-essential employees are not to report to work this is unfair for the officers who are still required to respond. These officers risk their lives getting to work and then performing their duties in poor weather. The focus group recommends when this occurs officers who are required to report to work would receive eight hours of vacation time in their bank, just like when the mayor gave the Friday after Thanksgiving off.

 

Support from Command Staff, City Hall

 

Officers feel there is a “disconnect” between the Command Staff and the Patrol Division.  Officers have the perception that the Command Staff does not understand what is going on in the Patrol Division, nor do they care.  Officers feel they are “just a number” and the Command Staff is more focused on other interests and that they may be adversely impacted from political issues in the community even when they are doing their jobs to the best of their abilities.

 

Officers believe that the Command staff is putting them in situations where their liability for discipline is high and that the discipline system at the department has changed.  Officers feel that in the Patrol Division they are sent to deal with active, tense calls, many times with people who are hostile or in crisis.  During these calls officers do their best to manage the situations with little resources and training given to them. The officers stressed that they do not mind doing their jobs, but they feel that Command Staff does not have their “back” or best interests in mind. The perception of the officers is that the Command Staff will issue formal discipline for minor policy violations, which in the past were just handled with informal talking/coaching from a supervisor. Patrol officers also feel that they are given a high level of scrutiny that other divisions in the department are not given, because the other divisions have less contact with the public, deal with “code 1” issues, and do not have the same chances of getting a formal citizen’s complaint.

 

The officers discussed that the tone the Command Staff takes with public statements makes them feel that they are automatically wrong. The officers also mentioned they believed that the Command Staff was bragging at the public forums and with other City of Hartford officials that they disciplined more officers than in the past. Officers felt this action has caused them and their peers to feel the Command Staff were looking for minor violations to discipline them, to keep up statistics.

 

The focus group further discussed the issue of the Patrol Division being treated as a step below other divisions. Officers said they felt this way because officers often get removed from other positions and placed into patrol. Officers in specialized units are also threatened by Command Staff and supervisors that they will be sent back to patrol for disciplinary or performance issues.  Officers recognized and were in many cases proud of coming into work during emergency situations, inclement weather, special events, protests, and holidays. The officers viewed this as being part of their job but thought other divisions and Command Staff did not share in this sacrifice. The officers discussed this idea of patrol being a step below other divisions made them feel like their contributions, commitments, and sacrifices to the department are going unnoticed and are not appreciated.

 

The focus group recommended opening better lines of communication and discussion between the Command Staff and the Patrol Division. The group feels that this may help to change the perception of the officers. Officers feel this could be done by Command Staff members coming to roll calls and putting out timely and accurate information. The officers also felt that the Command Staff could change the way they issue public statements about officers, internal investigations, and discipline. The focus group also recommended that for minor policy violations are handled informally by talking or coaching by Sergeants and not formal discipline.   The group further recommended that Command Staff not threaten people with being put back into patrol.

 

The focus group brought up the issue of support from City Officials at City Hall. The group believed that elected and appointed executive level positions at the City did not support them and in many cases were against them. The focus group brought up many instances where City Officials spoke negatively about the police department and its members. The focus group also discussed some City Council members having a strong negative opinion of police. The focus group did not have any suggestions on these issues and recognized that the Mayor and Council are elected positions.

 

Public Safety Complex and Substations

 

The officers were very concerned about the cleanliness of the PSC and substations. Officers felt that the buildings were dirty and not kept clean. Officers also brought up the fact that the trash is rarely emptied, piles up in the parking garage, and attracts animals such as rats and squirrels.   Officers also discussed how toilets in the PSC do not work and have been out of service for months, even after having been reported.

 

The group recommended keeping the building clean and empting the trash on a regular basis.

 

Summary and Conclusion

 

The Hartford Police Patrol Morale Focus Group was formed and tasked with identifying issues that were affecting morale. To facilitate these findings, a selection of officers with varying years of service were chosen. The group’s diverse members were tasked with speaking to their peers and listening to the issues that were possibly causing low morale. The group then submitted ideas and later gathered as a group for a round table discussion. After these steps, the group has concluded that by far the largest factor affecting the morale is pay and benefits. The group believes that until these issues are improved significantly morale will remain low and officers will continue to leave for other police departments. The group also concludes that officers having a greater liability and greater workload, for lower pay and benefits than surrounding communities will continue to cause newer officers to look elsewhere for employment.

 

The group also concludes that many officers have the perception their work is not appreciated, and they are not supported by the Command Staff.  The group believes from its discussions that much of this perception may be able to be changed with open lines of communication and minor changes.