Through an FOI request to HPD I had asked for documentation on any requests related to Police Staffing and the need to hire police officers in Hartford.
The responsive documents went back as far as 2013, when Chief James Rovella and his staff began raising the red flags for City Hall. The e-mails and documents from the request are rather voluminous, but they portray the scene of a Council and Mayor that should have been fully aware of the ramifications that drops in staffing would cause.
I guess it came down to priorities, and apparently shootings and homicides were not a priority. If only some of the money that was disbursed through apparent fraud for the Dillon Stadium project and the debt that has been and will continue to be incurred by the Yard Goats project had actually been put into priorities, imagine how different things might be. How many families would still be celebrating holidays and the lives of loved ones taken by crime?
It makes me wonder why we spend the money on a Police Chief and his Command Staff if the Council and Mayor choose to disregard his professional advice.
How many homicides could have been prevented if only Chief Rovella's proposal had been properly considered by Council President Wooden and Councilman Kennedy. If the money wasn't there for hiring, that is one thing. But if the money was there and instead funneled to sweetheart deals like Dillon Stadium, that is shameful, and may actually prove criminal as the Grand Jury results move forward.
The documents are voluminous, but they interesting reading and show the number of attempts by HPD to get City Hall to see the light and avoid the impending disaster of an understaffed Police Department. Its where we are today and we are now paying the price for inaction by our so called "leaders"
I can only hope the next City Council and Mayor pay attention to Chief Rovella's recommendations.
All that we are asking is give Peace a chance
For more on Police staffing, you can read the consultants report below
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6 comments:
It only takes a 1 day course to do traffic at a work site Kevin. Maybe City Hall should find a way to get half of their force on the street instead of on job sites. It's funny that you never hear anyone complaining about the number of PJ's they have to work. Just overtime where you actually have to do police work. Hate to still be there.
Traffic control at a work site is not rocket science. The worst part is that the MAJORITY of HPD clowns out there are seldom ever doing any traffic control. Instead we see them on their cellphones doing VERY LITTLE traffic control. Once again we hear about this HPD COMMUNITY POLICING and its benefits. REALLY?? Here is a question for you Brookman: IF HPD COMMUNITY POLICING IS WORKING SO WELL WHY HAVE THE NUMBER OF SUSTAINED COMPLAINTS AGAINST OFFICERS RISEN? That's something for you to research and put up on this blog. Stop sucking up to HPD and KEEP IT REAL BROOKMAN!!
How much did WE THE PEOPLE of Harford have to shell out for this DLG staffing study? Can you find out for us Brookman? Remember the 2011 MARCUM ADVISORY GROUP study of the HARTFORD POLICE INTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION. How many of the recommendations from that "independent review" have been implemented? YOU NEED TO FOI THAT BROOKMAN!! & STOP SUCKING UP TO HPD!!
You can do your own FOI request if the information is that important to you, but then again you couldn't sling your mud "anonymously" then, could you? Or maybe you could pick up the phone and call Chief Rovella and ask him, I am sure he would tell you, unless you are too busy working a PJ.
3:01PM
That is why I am pushing the next Mayor to hire only robots as Police Officers.
When we hire human beings and force them to work excessive hours to cover shifts because the Department is understaffed by over 100 officers and Officers are getting stressed at being forced to repeatedly "hold over " and cover shifts, nerves wear thin and bad things happen. How fresh would you be at your job after being forced to work 16 hours straight, denied requested days off or denied a vacation day. Probably not in the best frame of mind , especially after you just cleared a call seeing a young woman shot in the neck with a shotgun or holding a young man dying in your arms after he is stabbed through the heart at a skate park on New years eve.
And I do keep it real, it probably isn't what you want to hear, but too bad.
Mr Brookman, what a splendid comment. That we hire robots. We did have them on council the last cycle. And they proved to be very obedient.
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