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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

LOBSTERGATE: THE FINAL CHAPTER...HOPEFULLY

Hartford Police sources are confirming what is most likely the final chapter in the alleged lobster larceny case of Officer Natoya Guthrie. Sources are confirming that Hartford police Chief James Rovella has accepted the resignation of Officer Guthrie from the Hartford police department earlier today. Guthrie was seen at the Hartford Police Department earlier this afternoon turning in her city issued uniforms and equipment.

 
former Officer Natoya Guthrie
 
 
This appears to be the final chapter in what has been referred to as "lobstergate" by commenter's here on the blog. Guthrie was under investigation for the alleged thefts of lobster and other seafood from the self checkout line at the Stop and Shop store on New Park Avenue in Hartford.

You can read the original posting here

Apparently there were videos detailing more than one instance of the alleged thefts that could have resulted in Guthrie's arrest on larceny charges if pursued. As soon as I obtain those videos, they will be posted here.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

HARTFORD FIRE DEPARTMENT CREATES NEW DEPUTY CHIEF POSITION...FOR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERS'S HUSBAND

Although no press releases or fanfare or promotion ceremonies have been obvious, a new Deputy Chief position has quietly been created in the Hartford Fire Department for the husband of Hartford's acting Chief Operating Officer Sandra Key Borges. The position was filled by her husband Terry Waller. Waller previously held the position of Captain with HFD according to Fire Department sources.

The position apparently is being used to cover for another Deputy Chief who sustained a paralyzing injury and is out on long term medical leave. The injured Chief's absence, from what I am told, had incurred no additional costs to cover his shifts since Captains are eligible to cover for Deputy Chief's at regular pay rather than overtime pay.

The timing of the position is interesting for a couple reasons. First is that recently Mayor Segarra has ordered lay-offs and furlough days for City employees because of budget payroll shortages. The furlough days included command positions in both the Fire and Police Departments.

More importantly is the court order hanging over the Fire Department to re-instate Deputy Chief Dan Nolan to his previous position of Deputy Chief after his wrongful termination by Mayor Eddie Perez and the City of Hartford.  Nolan , a respected Army veteran is currently finishing his military commitment after spending over a year serving in Afghanistan.

Nolan is expected to notify the City of his intent to return to work anytime between now and February 12, 2013. If I know Dan, it will be sooner than later as I am sure that he is anxious to get back to the career that he loves and was forced out of by a corrupt Mayor.

It should be interesting to see where the money is coming from for these positions

A BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Saturday November 10th was the birthday of the United States Marine Corps and downtown Hartford played host to several hundred Marines attending the Marine Corp Ball at the Hartford Hilton.

From Wikipedia, The history of the United States Marine Corps began with the founding of the Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces. Its mission evolved with changing military doctrine and foreign policy of the United States. Owing to the availability of Marine forces at sea, the United States Marine Corps has served in nearly every conflict in United States history.

 It attained prominence when its theories and practice of amphibious warfare proved prescient, and ultimately formed a cornerstone of the Pacific Theater of World War II. By the early 20th century, the Marine Corps would become one of the dominant theorists and practitioners of amphibious warfare. Its ability to rapidly respond on short notice to expeditionary crises has made and continues to make it an important tool for American foreign policy.

The Marine Corp is an organization rich in tradition and pride and their birthday is celebrated annually with huge fanfare by Marines. I am proud to say that my father was a Marine and I currently have a nephew serving in the Marine Corp on active duty. I can't call my father a former Marine, even though he has passed away, because he made it clear to us "once a Marine, always a Marine" and he made that clear by flying the Marine Corp flag at his home, a tradition that my mother still holds today as she makes sure the red Marine Corp flag is flying in front of her house.

It was an impressive sight to see hundreds of marines downtown last night in their "dress blues" and it was also impressive to see the number of people going up to them and saying "thank you" for their service.

The Hartford Courant also had a great story today about the scrifices some of these young men and women have made for our country, you can read that story here.

As a sidenote, no Lieutenant's were harmed in the celebration of this event

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

HARTFORD UNOFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS

Hartford Unofficial Election results

HPD's NEW WELLNESS PROGRAM?

Let me start this posting by saying we have a great Police Department in Hartford led by a great Chief who is going to take the Hartford Police Department to new heights .A few hundred very professional men and women make up that department and serve our City well every day. But as in any organization, there are a few people that you just have to shake your head and say "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

The latest is the story of Sergeant Troy Gordon, a street supervisor of Patrol Officers on the midnight shift. Recently Sgt. Gordon apparently felt the need to discipline a female officer on his shift after she called in that she was signing off at an area to conduct  a "directed patrol" or what HPD calls a 10-59 in their radio codes. From what I am told Gordon went to the location she called in and the Officer wasn't there. Now whether she had already left and forgot to clear the call with the dispatcher or signed off at the wrong location is not clear.

But regardless, when Gordon didn't find her where she signed off, he called her by radio to meet him in another parking lot. Gordon also called other patrol units to meet him in the lot. When the female officer arrived he instructed her to  get out of her cruiser and he ordered her to run circles around her car in front of her fellow officers. From what I am told he made her run circles for the next twenty three minutes during which she fell a few times , to her embarrassment in front of her peers.

To further compound his actions, from what sources are telling me, Gordon was questioned over the radio on a recorded channel by his Lieutenant as to why he was calling for the patrol cars to meet him at the lot. Gordon apparently lied to his immediate supervisor and told the Lieutenant that he was getting officers together to go search for a shotgun used in a robbery rather than tell him he was amassing the units that should be out patrolling the north end of Hartford to witness his alleged abuse of another officer.

This one should call into question Sergeant Gordon's fitness to supervise officer's as well as his common sense and judgement. This sounds more like a fraternity house hazing than it does the actions of a highly paid supervisor of the Hartford Police Department.

These are the tests of Chief Rovella that he will need to act fairly, but quickly on. The tone for Rovella's Administration need to be made quickly and let his supervisors know what he expects from them and what is acceptable. I am pretty confident that others will make different choices and fall in line with Rovellas expectations if they know that they will be held accountable for their actions and judgement.

 It might come down to some tough love, but that has been lacking for far too long at HPD.  Much of the similar behaviors has resulted in large legal settlements or pending lawsuits for the taxpayers of Hartford, and in the end there are several issues in this matter that will most likely lead to large payouts once again, which I won't go into here.

The cardio workout probably isn't a bad thing, but the HPD gym is the place for that ,not a parking lot off Main Street

LOBSTERGATE UPDATE

Last August I posted about a Hartford Police Officer who was being accused of stealing lobster from the Stop and Shop store on New Park Avenue.You can read that posting here.

That posting received the most comments ever on the blog and strong feelings were posted about the officers fitness to be a Police Officer based upon her judgement and choices she made. It also evolved to name calling that it was a racial issue.  I'm not sure what race had to do with it, since right is right and wrong is wrong . The only color that should have come into it was orange, when she dropped the larceny lobsters into the boiling water.

Sources are telling me that this latest Chapter in HPD scandals may be coming to a close soon.This will come as a relief to many officers who have repeatedly called me asking why she was still allowed to work the streets in a cruiser, covering the District area that the Stop and Shop is in none the less. I guess it is that old saying, innocent until proven guilty.

From what I have have been told, the guilt is about to be proven and the Officer continues to find herself in hot water. For anyone not aware, Stop and Shop has extensive video surveillance and anytime you make a purchase using you Stop and Shop card the purchase can be tracked and is recorded, so if you are scamming your purchases at the self checkout line , consider yourself forewarned.

Also, once those videos are obtained and used as part of a Police investigation they become "public Documents" as detailed under the Connecticut Freedom of Information laws. Now start reading between the lines here and make your own conclusions as to where this is going.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, any blogger could request those videos to post  for the public to view. There is an exemption under the FOI laws that might actually prevent the release of those videos if they are part of an investigation that may result in criminal charges. If the videos could be used to prosecute the criminal case, that would prevent their release until an arrest was made. Until an arrest was made that would mean that they would not appear on a blog as public documents.

If there was no arrest, no criminal prosecution and the matter was handled administratively, that would mean the videos would then become public documents and they would be posted here. Hopefully that determination will be coming soon