The City of Hartford is headed for a potentially violent summer. In years past, residents could ask the Police Chief what the plan was to deal with the homicides , the shootings and the violence.
This year is different, If I am counting correctly, Hartford recorded its 11th homicide of the year today . A daytime shooting at a relatively busy intersection, in broad daylight, blocks from Saint Francis Hospital resulted in a homicide, # 11 for the year so far.
And as I said, in years past, typically members of the community would be meeting with the Police Chief to address their concerns. Typically the Police Chief would lay out their plan for their summer initiative and the plan to address the concerns and hopefully put their fears at rest.
There is no chance of that this year . Why you might ask? Because Hartford's Police Chief Jason Thody is no where to be found. Well , let me correct that. Thody can be found at the FBI national Academy for the next 10 weeks, away from the City.
Despite the official description, the FBI Academy is widely regarded as a networking and resume building opportunity.
I think most people would wish that a Police Chief with almost thirty years of experience would be able to teach the classes, not attend them. Wouldn't it seem to make more sense to begin grooming junior members of the Department for future leadership roles, rather than sending the Chief?
It also seems like poor management that anyone would allow the Police Chief to be away for at least 10 weeks while violence is spiking at the same time that the number 2 guy , the Assistant Chief, is relatively new to the position and probably can't find most streets in Hartford without using GPS. At the same time the number 3 guy, Deputy Chief Jay Lee is away at training for 6 weeks out of state.
Does no one at HPD look at staffing and scheduling and question how two of your top "leaders" ( and I use the term leader sarcastically when I refer to Thody) In addition the current staffing at HPD is well under what is needed to function, Although HPD should have roughly 425 officers, their current level, I am told is about 330 sworn Officers, and more leaving almost daily. Many of those officers have left in the past two years since Thody has been Chief
Maybe the FBI can offer a course "How NOT to run a Police Department". I would fully support Thody attending that class for as long as it takes..
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