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Friday, August 20, 2010

MESSAGE TO THE COUNCIL: HURRY UP AND PASS THE COTTO ORDINANCE BEFORE THIS HAPPENS AGAIN

The following story was posted on line this afternoon. If only the Council had passed the proposed "Cotto" ordinance sooner, we could have hosted 46 of the people arrested. The 47th was already here as a guest of the Connecticut Department of Correction. I wonder how this would have been handled in Hartford?

The crimes alleged seem relatively minor,attempted murder, carjacking, assault and battery with dangerous weapons, assault to rape and possession of firearms.
I can see why we would want to welcome them with open arms and prevent the Police from asking unnecessary questions of these stellar individuals. I'm sure they were only looking to start fresh in the Land of Opportunity. And how dare they "target" foreigners without giving the same opportunity for arrests to regular citizens.

Here is the full story:

IMMIGRATION AGENTS NAB 47 IN MASS, MAINE, CONNECTICUT


BOSTON — Federal immigration officials say a three-month operation in Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut has led to the arrest 47 of people suspected of being gang members or having ties to gangs.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Harold Ort said on Friday that many of the suspects had histories of violent crimes including attempted murder, carjacking, assault and battery with dangerous weapons, assault to rape and possession of firearms.

The operation targeted foreigners and those born abroad. They will appear before immigration judges, but their criminal status renders them removable from the country within 10 business days.

They include residents of Boston, Chelsea, Dartmouth, East Boston, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lynn, New Bedford, Randolph and Springfield, all in Massachusetts. One person who was already in custody at Hartford Correctional Center was also arrested, and others were detained in Providence, R.I., as well as Portland and Westbrook in Maine.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

THE PRIMARY NUMBERS ARE IN

Apparently these are the official voter turnout numbers for the August 10, 2010 primary as being reported on Courant.com, where you can search by town for the results.

TOWN Hartford
Eligible Democrats 33829
Democrats Voted 7484
Democrat Turnout 22.12%
Eligible Republicans 1719
Republicans Voted 404
Republican Turnout 23.50%

Pretty dismal numbers, but the number of eligible Republicans surprises me. It looks like the Republican vote is shrinking more and more each year. A few more years and they should be non-existent.

How is the budget for the Republican Registrar of Voters justified with such small numbers compared to the Democratic numbers?

HARTFORD POLICE OFFICER PASSES AFTER BATTLE WITH CANCER


Hartford Police Officer Jason Bates passed away this evening after a year long battle against cancer.

Officer Bates graduated from the Hartford Police Academy in 2007. Approximately 18 months later Officer Bates was diagnosed with cancer and has been receiving treatments in Boston.

On August 5, 2010 Hartford Police Sergeant Jim Elliott began a 24 hour bicycle ride around the outer borders of the State of Connecticut as a fundraiser for Officer Bates.

For the ride, an account was established for donations. Anyone wishing to still contribute may send donations to the "24 Hour Bates Bicycle Ride" in care of the Greater Hartford Police Federal Credit Union at 50 Jennings Road, Hartford, CT, 06120.

I don't know anything at this point regarding Officer Bates family situation, but please consider donating if possible.

Thanks

WHAT IS UP WITH THE HPD WEBSITE?

For an agency that is still using hand written index cards to keep track of time records, it might be a jump for them to keep up with this new-fangled thing called the internet.

The only problem is that we are paying for someone to maintain the Hartford Police Department's website under a special contract worth more than $60,000 per year. The person with the contract is also collecting a pension as a retired City of Hartford employee.

In taking a look at the website last night, it shows that the weekly crime statistics haven't been updated since May 15, 2010. They used to be relatively up to date, maybe lagging a couple weeks at a time, but over 3 months behind?

Much of the basic information is also outdated. It show's Lt. Luis Rodriguez as Commander of Vice and Narcotics, he hasn't been there in probably over a year. Lt. Pat Jobes is listed as the Headquarters Lieutenant for "C" squad, he retired months ago. Many other mistakes and outdated information is on the site, but you get the point.

Shouldn't we ask for our money's worth if we are paying over $60,000 a year to have someone make sure it is correct?

Another problem I have is that the City is paying a police Sergeant to function as the Public Information Officer. If information was flowing out of the Police Department it might be worthwhile. But if you go by what is on the website, there have been five press releases for the entire month of August, one on the 2nd, three on the 3rd and one on the 5th, nothing since. Ten press releases for May, one for June, and none for July. Probably a mistake on the part of the webmaster, but if nothing else, it shows that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

With the current staffing issues, do we really need to tie up a sworn police officer writng a handful of press releases a month. With all of the gun and drug arrests being made, why aren't these being made public? Would it hurt to let people know what their Police Department is doing?

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

WHAT IS BEST FOR HARTFORD?


What is best for Hartford? That seems like a logical question that should be asked before important decisions are made for our city's future. Unfortunately, that question seems to be lost on some City Council members as they prepare to select the replacement for the vacant seat on the Council.

Horsetrading at its finest is being carried out behind closed doors in the Council offices. It is not about selecting the best possible candidate, it is about shoring up the foundations and political favors for some Council people and their political futures.

The promises for support down the road are being made by those with Mayoral aspirations. Comments like "I'm voting for R*** D******* on the first ballot because I promised M***** G******* I would to get her support next year" (the full names were left out to protect the identities of the horse traders). Or "if I vote for .... "insert candidate name here"...will they vote for me for Council President?"

Those are honestly questions and statements that have been made by council members, they aren't questions I am making up.

I'll admit, the choices seem pretty slim, but out of the three front runners,at least one candidate seems to stand out.

Hartford Attorney A.J. Sierra was the one that seemed to impress the audience members the most from the feedback I got. Sierra relayed how he put himself through law school by running a hot dog cart downtown at night in the bar area. He then went to law school, passed the bar and set up shop in Hartford where he has remained and lives here with his family and has his offices here also.

I would think what we need now is someone with common sense who has built their own business, understands what the people of Hartford are going through and can bring some new ideas to a stagnant Council.

The horse trading "politics as usual" mindset by the current Council needs to change. I didn't name the council people involved in the wheeling and dealing, but I may after they meet Friday to make their selection.

I have a few suggestions for the possible candidates that they might want to ask. If the Robles incident means anything, they should probably not expect honest answers to their questions from some, but who knows.

They might ask the candidates "Have you ever been asked to leave or failed out of a Police Academy because of a poor attitude and a failure to respect authority while in that Academy?". Also a good question might be "Have you ever been or are you currently involved in a food stamp fraud investigation that could potentially result in your arrest?". This question might prove interesting also "Are you aware of any past or current investigations by any agencies into your law practices that may result in the loss of your license to practice law?".

I'm sure the Council members have plenty of their own questions they could ask if they really wanted to find the best candidate. For some reason though I think most of those on the Council follow the old adage "Silence is Golden"

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

RITTER BY A LANDSLIDE, DOUBLES HIS LEAD

Apparently another vote was found in Bloomfield, Matt Ritter has doubled his lead over incumbent Ken Green.

Ritter is now sitting on a comfortable 2, yes two, vote lead as of 6:30PM. Ritter's victory is almost assured now