I try not to take the blog too seriously, most times, at least. I am starting to realize what people have been telling me for a while. "We the People" has definitely become an engine for change in Hartford.
As much as I appreciate that though, I really do have to ask...Why?
I have some excellent partners and sources that make it all possible, but it would be so much easier if the City was just run right.
With the number of high priced, most of them in the six figure salary, so called managers, it seems as though very little managing is taking place.Whether it is the p-card abuse or Kupiec's joy ride, why does it come out here first. Shouldn't our managers and our double dipping COO have a handle on the operation first?
I just wonder what the outcome would have been if I didn't develop the information regarding the former Chief of Staff and his apparent theft of a City vehicle. Would anyone have even known?
And when would the vehicle he took without permission have been noticed as missing? Maybe when the dust on it from the parking garage got too thick that it bothered some city Hall manager with allergies?
As the incident unfolded Monday morning it was amazing that no one, not even the HPD Fleet manager knew who the vehicle was issued to. Cops were saying the registration cam back to HPD but apparently no one had a record of who the vehicle had been issued to.. That is just amazing that there is no vehicle data base that should show any City vehicle at a moments notice. If people are being paid to manage a fleet, then damn it, manage the fleet.
That would also require though that those in power play by the rules and allow the people being paid to do their jobs. You can't bypass the rules and hand out vehicles or cellphones or I-pads like candy without following a process in place. To the best of my knowledge there is no small asset inventory in place for the City of Hartford. I have asked for it and no one has provided it.
That means if you are a City of Hartford employee and are issued an I-pad or a cellphone or in the Case of Jared Kupiec, a car. No one even knows you have it, so there is no procedure to protect the city's assets to make sure that property eventually makes it back to City Hall, unless someone remembers to ask for it back.
This just crazy that we run a half a billion dollar corporation like this, if you can even call it "running". It is a free for all allowed to flail out of control because of misplaced loyalties to law school study buddies and chronies rather than qualified professionals.
Council President Shawn Wooden today requested an Audit into City Vehicles based on the Kupiec incident. An incident that was revealed through a blog posting, not an observant City employee or even a highly paid Department head doing their job.
Even more troubling though is the comment in Wooden's letter that " I understand that an audit of this scope will likely be a labor intensive one, so I am asking that it be completed by September 30, 2013". This report would most likely be a few key strokes on a computer to generate for management at any properly operated business.
The report would probably also tell you the last time it was serviced, the mileage etc, etc. And if it was a really well run business, the entire fleet would be tracked by GPS and able to tell you where that vehicle was at that exact moment and how fast it was travelling.
It is definitely time to start reviewing the City Vehicle policy. There should be three people with City take home privileges, the mayor, the police Chief and the Fire Chief, period. In addition all other City vehicles should be clearly marked with city seals and markings. What is the need for stealth by the Fire Chief or the Fire Department. no HFD markings and in most cases not even municipal plates. Why?
In a City struggling with the need for additional police presence and visibility , other than detective's vehicles, every other vehicle should be clearly and very visibly marked a s a police vehicle. If you don't want a marked police vehicle in your driveway, don't take it home.
And as far as DPW, no one is owed a ride back and forth to work by the taxpayers. Follow the Weather Channel, if a blizzard is predicted, either stay local or take an SUV home for the night, but there is no need for vehicles to go home on a daily basis.
There is no reason for the Chief of Staff , the COO or even Department heads to have take home cars
The City of Hartford residents deserve so much more from those who are supposed to be running the operation. Allowing the direction and management of the city to be dictated by a blog is wrong.
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8 comments:
What I would like to know how many of these city vehicles Police, Fire and so on are taken home by city employees who live in the city? One maybe two. Lets talk gas prices.
A couple years ago a (difficult)hard audit of every vehicle owned by the City and BOE was done. There was a system set up to register new vehicles and remove decommissioned vehicles. What happened to that system (i.e. what have the fleet managers been doing?)?
It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in City management, but take heart,we are all here to do what we are all here to do.
Kevin how do you feel about take home vehicle for the swat team members? They carry hundreds of pounds of gear, Are one of the only units in the city that can respond for mutual aid anywhere in the state and are on call 24/7, 365. They had a call out Christmas eve and took tactical positions in the snow that was falling for several hours. If someone perhaps a non-blog supporter was holding you hostage wouldnt it be great to have guys there quickly instead of sitting in a traffic jam because some mayors aid decided he didnt like to share the road with a certain vehicle and tried to remove it by smashing his car into it.?
Lets not lose sight of the issue here, the issue is the Mayor and his "administration" failed again, by not getting that car turned into properly and reassigned thru DPW. Now, because of one"IDIDOTS" greed and aragonce the 9 boobs at city hall who think they are the "Supreme Court" are getting involved. So, they critique everyone else but they fail to look at what lame brained ideas they have passed a resolutions that have nothing to do with the city of Hartford or improving its enoomic viability. Then the absurd resolution by Cynthia Jennigs wanting to get as much as 90k for a part time job , craziness.
Finally, really, while the city is burning 10 million for golf courses and another 1 million for Dillion stadium, when the city is thinking about layoffs. Hold MDM and SKB and any other dope that was asleep at the wheel on that one accountable.
Wheres your audit request for that one Mr. Council President.
Take home vehicle for SWAT team members??? Are you smoking crack? Kevin, this is proof positive drug testing needs to be implemented again. No one cares how quick swat members respond off duty, majority of you, not all, but majority are drunk when off duty anyways. Shows you the mind set of some of these crazy individuals at HPD!!!
With the current city council, especially Ken Kennedy, they hate HPD, they are doing everything in their power to dismantle the HPD and make it fail. They DO NOT support you or the chief. They want to take all cars, they want you to make no money, they want no OT spent, they don't even want you to work comp time. They want to authorize any and all OT spent and they want to decide what you drive, if up to them, you'll be getting smart cars. They, especially Kennedy, do not care about you, they dislike you, and they do not care about the city, they all have personal agendas, they want the mayor and chief to fail.
How about this Ken Kennedy, fellow council members and swat member;
Disband the swat (ERT) team, your not needed, do you think the council will actually support you if you shoot someone? Do you not see the light? Worry about keeping your job and being there for your family. Hand over swat, ERT, whatever to the State Police and disband HPD ERT. Money savings, no OT or training days and less liability, let CSP deal with it. This includes disbanding hostage negotiation team. Bones has done a great job but he's on his way out.
Disband Bomb Squad, they're useless, once again hand over Bomb Squad to State Police, once again save money. Sell all those stupid fire trucks (bomb trucks) and take all that money (millions I'm sure) and put that money into line cars for patrol officers.
Disband the Marine Unit, useless and only a money pit. Sell the boats, let coast guard, Fire Dept. and ENCON handle the water. HPD has no business on the river. That includes the dive team also, State Police has a dive team. Take all that money for those silly boats and trucks and put that money into line cars for patrol officers.
CONTINUED......
CONTINUED......
Take back all take home cars and cell phones so no one has to come back to work for any type of call back.
On call crime scene detective's should have a car to take home when on call to respond back when needed.
Disband the shooting task force, let all shootings go back to being not investigated and make it common practice and every day business to have shootings / shootouts in the city, no one wants to live in the city anymore anyways. Downtown sucks, nothing going on there. Ken, go look at West Hartford center and see how it's thriving, but you don't care, your to busy with your personal agenda and making babies with your side pieces. You guys have done a great job, but no one, especially Ken Kennedy, appreciates you.
On call Major Crimes Detectives subject to call back should be able to take a car home when on call back to respond in for homicides, which I anticipate going on the rise. MCD to come in off hours only for homicides, who cares if someone gets shot and doesn't die, Ken Kennedy and the city council doesn't care and neither should you.
Disband conditions units, they're used like h&%rs anyways. No reason for any proactive units, no one cares.
Disband K-9 units, they cost money and city council doesn't want us catching bad guys anyways unless it benefits them.
Keep CSO's, the few good people left in Hartford such as you Kevin and others do really appreciate a neighborhood CSO and almost every CSO does an outstanding job, I can't think of one that does not do a good job for the most part.
Keep the horses, don't disband them, and maybe add a few motors to traffic, don't cut them.
Shut down all special units and teams, save money, and lets see what happens.
Ken Kennedy and city council members, you should be ashamed of yourself. The mayor has made mistakes like anyone, he's human, but from the outside looking in, he along with the chief really do care about HPD and the community. How about a counsel resolution to disband the city council???? This same city council that wanted a what Kevin, was it a $90,000 raise each? Take all the savings at HPD and give the money to raises for council members along with the phones and cars they want to take, they should be happy then Kevin.
Anonymous 2:32,
You must be reading Colin McEnroe, your sarcasm is clear but you also make very valid points. What is it that this Council wanta, I'm not even sure they know, I will be posting a comment shortly about this, but we can't have a safe city without a serious commitment to Public safety. One of the Budget cuts you didn't mention is eliminate the position of police Chief and the entire Command Staff. . If the Council is going to micromanage the Police department right down to the size of the engines in new cruisers and the accessory equipment ordered, we don't need a professional manager . The Council clearly knows everything so let them run with it. Ironic as I sit here writing this, a report of a couple people shot on Flatbush Avenue is being dispatched right now, 4:00PM on a Saturday afternoon in the shadows of the Campus of Trinity. Yup, cut that comp time and scrutinize the 8 cylinder engines, priorities I guess
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