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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

ANOTHER HUGE SEIZURE FOR HARTFORD'S SHOOTING TASK FORCE






1508 Heroin Packets





9 pounds of marijuana, 1,508 heroin packets, 3 handguns Seized by Hartford's Shooting task Force
 
Members of Hartford's Shooting Task Force have been conducting an investigation into firearm activity in the Parkville neighborhood. In response to that investigation, a "stash" location of firearms was identified as being stored in a local storage facility. A search warrant was obtained for the storage locker.

On Monday, August 19, 2013, the storage unit was searched. In the unit police found 2 ,9mm handguns and loaded clips, a 45mm Smith and Wesson and a loaded clip. 1,508 heroin packets marked "fear none" and 9 pounds of marijuana.

Imagine if the Task Force was fully funded like it was at this time last year what they would be finding. It seems like an effort well worth it with the dent it is putting in Hartford's illegal gun and drug operations

Monday, August 19, 2013

SHOOTING TASK FORCE SEIZURE





One of the most positive initiatives that has been implemented against violent crime in Hartford  has been the Shooting Task Force. When they were at full strength last year, gun seizures and press releases regarding the STF seemed like an almost daily occurrence.

Due to various budget cuts the Task Force has been reduced from its original strength and several of the State level partners( Connecticut State Police and Chief States Attorney's Office) in the initiative have been cut back due to budget constraints and surrounding municipalities have also curtailed their efforts. Manchester Police, the CT Department of Corrections and Probation and Parole still maintain their commitment.

A major seizure by members of the Shooting Task Force and HPD's Traffic Division Sunday night is proof positive  that the Task Force needs to be rebuilt to its strength level from last year.

All of the items pictured above were seized from a car on Hartford's streets. Last weeks violence is probably a good indicator that guns and drugs are moving pretty freely around Hartford. If our Governor and our Mayor are serious about reducing gun violence in Hartford, they need to make a serious commitment to programs such as the Shooting Task Force.

On Sunday night at about 7:41 PM members of the Shooting Task Force in cooperation with HPD's Traffic Division were conducting patrols in the Parkville area due to recent spikes in firearm violence and shots fired calls. Near 82 Chadwick Avenue  a male suspect ran from a vehicle after he noticed Police Officers in the area. After a short foot chase, the suspect was apprehended  on the 3rd floor rear porch at 82 Chadwick

Officers looking into the car noticed a large amount of heroin in plain sight on the center console. A subsequent search of the vehicle  yielded a large amount of heroin, crack cocaine, ecstasy, over $8,466.00 in US currency and two firearms. Both firearms had been stolen in burglaries.

Juan Maldonado, a convicted felon, was arrested and charged with various charges including carrying a pistol without a permit Criminal possession of a firearm, Theft of a firearm as well as numerous drug charges. He was held on a $750,000.00 bond

Friday, August 16, 2013

THE IRONY OF IT ALL



Yesterday at 4:06 PM I posted my thoughts on the jumping Segarra and his lack of leadership by refusing media requests for interviews regarding Hartford's recent shootings and homicides.

I was somewhat surprised when less than a half hour later, Mayor Segarra was in the car headed to the Public Safety Complex to grant an interview to Channel 3's Len Besthoff.

What changed mayor between 4:05 PM and 4:35PM, maybe a blog post?

I do have to say though , it is good seeing the Mayor getting his exercise, the caviar and rich foods could take its toll quick. Jump Pedro Jump.

The original posting is here.

VIGILS FOR THE LIVING

After every homicide, Rev. Henry Brown conducts a vigil to console the families of the homicide victims.  I support Henry and he definitely serves a purpose.

I think it is time we start holding vigils for the living. Our elected officials in Hartford need to be held accountable. I am calling for vigils on the front lawns of our elected officials ,Council President Shawn Wooden, Councilman Ken Kennedy, the chair of Public Safety on the Council, Councilman Kyle Anderson.


It is time to start drawing attention to Hartford's problems and make sure our elected officials are answering our questions. Showing up on their front lawns in their home turf might just make a difference as well as make them aware that accountability is coming. If they won't go to the homicide scenes and face the tough questions , we will come to them.

Please let me know your thoughts and if you would be willing to be involved.

Let's stop reacting and become proactive with our elected officials

LINNMORE STREET SHOOTING AUDIO RECORDINGS

The recordings below are the dispatch tapes from the Hartford Department of Emergency Services Dispatch Center regarding the shots fired call at 321 Linnmore Street in Hartford Monday night. Subsequently , after officers missed locating the body on Monday night, the second recordings are of the calls notifying dispatchers of the dead body in their yard.
 
Now I know that answering these phone calls and trying to pull information out of frantic callers is difficult, but is hanging up on the caller before you even obtain a correct address for a shooting the correct action? Listen to the original call and when the resident is reluctant to giver her name, the dispatcher hangs up on her. Also note that all the dispatcher had at that point was Linnmore Street, no specific address, nothing.
 
How do you not keep the caller on the line and gather as much information as possible, even an intersection or cross street to narrow it down. "OK,Bye"is not a suitable response. But I guess it was just a shooting .

 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

AND MORE VENTING WHILE I AM AT IT

I am fed up with police resources being stripped from my neighborhood, and other neighborhoods in the City to cover problem bars. I am fed up with the police coverage that is supposed to be assigned to my area being stripped to fill holes in other areas of the City.

Am I , as well as my neighbors, any less entitled to proper police coverage because other areas of the City don't know how to act properly.

Asylum Hill, my neighborhood, is pretty much a relatively quiet area crime wise.  It does not happen just because of luck or good geographic's. It happens because we have the Asylum Hill walk beat as well as some good supervision in the area. The two Central District Lieutenants operate out of an office a half block away from me. They are accessible and approachable, not just for me but members of the community as well.

The major portion of the stability though is the tone set by the walk beat officer, who is actually on a bike. Loiterers know not to hang on the corners, Hartford High students know better than to loiter on Farmington Avenue when they are skipping class. And people going to the cell phone store to fence stolen items have learned that an officer on the bike is following their activity.

It is called quality of life enforcement, the things that destroy neighborhoods

My walk beat has not been on his walk beat all week. Monday he was pulled to fill a vacant cruiser, Car 30. Tuesday he was pulled to guard a prisoner at Hartford Hospital. Today he was pulled to fill in at Tele-serve, the front desk at HPD.

And trust me , the word spreads quick when he is not here, you can notice the difference. Should me and my neighbors have to deal with the instability caused because the City Councils commitment to us as residents seems not to be there. Lets start not filling the west end cruisers around the Council members home and see what the response is.

My walk beat officer also covers one of the City's latest hell holes of crime, South Marshall Street, home to one of our latest homicide victims who was stuffed in a bag and dumped in Suffield, numerous gun arrests including a sawed off shotgun, and a real hotbed for drug dealing.

Now I am being told our "Condition Units", which were sold to the neighborhoods as teams of Officers that would be focused on quality of life issues, are being permanently assigned to the Central Bar district every Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday night now. The North District Conditions Units are being assigned to North Main Street bars and clubs every Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday now also.

I guess that means that quality of life issues in the rest of the neighborhoods are only important one day a week.

It is wrong, the nuisances and problem locations need to be forced to be a part of the solution, instead of draining resources from the rest of the City. Many areas, such as my neighborhood have worked hard to reduce crime and build relationships with our officers to have  safe streets. To risk that by shuffling them around is wrong

And while I am at it, I am usually very supportive of our Police Officers. I am growing increasingly troubled by those officers that are more focused on the "PJ's" or private duty jobs. There are numerous officers in competition to see who will hit $150,000 first for the year rather than focusing on their primary commitment to Public Safety in Hartford.

I want to know that Officer's are focused on their job 100% when they are in my neighborhood. I want to know that Officers are paying attention and not missing dead bodies shot in some one's yard because they are too lazy to get out of their car on a shooting call because they have already worked 5 or 6 PJ's for the week already.

I am not sure anyone could give their full effort to any employer after standing in the sun and 90 degree temperatures several days a week at a road ,job, and the Linnmore Street homicide and not seeing a dead body laying in a side yard is the perfect example.

Start the comments rolling, but there is no way to defend any of this other than to properly staff and fund the PD. Hartford will never turn around with headlines like we have seen this week.