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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

IT IS TIME FOR A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF THE HARTFORD FIRE DEPARTMENT

HUERTAS "I CUT A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL TO GET MY JOB" 

The phone calls began early Monday morning to advise me that Captain Thomas Dalton of the Hartford Fire Department is now on administrative suspension from his job. This apparently is the result of Dalton being the alleged victim of an assault by another Hartford Firefighter , LT. Michael Patterson. Yes,you read that right, Dalton is the victim and now he is the one suspended.

The Hartford Fire Department is a quagmire  of incompetence and mismanagement. It has been for several years and that mess was compounded when the appointment of Fire Chiefs became bogged town, not by competence for the job but by political payoffs and dirty deals.That filth has never been more obvious than it is now. It begs for a full Federal Investigation. The message needs to be loud and clear that Hartford City Hall is not available to the highest bidder and those willing to cut the best deal for their advancement.

The interesting part is that the main recipient of the most recent dirty, most likely illegal deals,has been vocal about the deal making to myself and other members of the community and was even recorded talking about the dirty deal.

I had asked Chief Huertas about the deal making for his appointment to be permanent Chief, and I was actually surprised by his candor. It was a night that was my first conversation with Huertas as Chief . We were behind Bulkeley High School after a budget hearing in 2013. Myself and another community member, who shall remain nameless at this time but is willing to go on the record if necessary, were talking to Chief Huertas. He came right out and told us "he had to cut a deal with the devil" to get appointed Chief. Deal with the Devil, those were his words, not mine.

 He further elaborated that he was forced to take Terry Waller as Assistant Chief if he wanted the job. I asked who he was forced by and he said Pedro Segarra and Saundra Kee-Borges. He explained that it was made clear if he wasn't willing to appoint Waller, he wold not get the job. He told both of us that he regretted that commitment everyday and he felt like a "babysitter" having to watch every move Terry Waller made because of his incompetence.

I think in most cases actions like that are called blackmail or more appropriately extortion. There clearly would be a financial benefit to Waller by his appointment .For Segarra and Kee-Borges to be using their public offices to benefit relatives and cronies with public funds is wrong, especially in critical positions such as the Hartord Fire Department. We already learned in the past year these dirty deals have the potential to cost lives.

The "quid pro quo" is pretty clear. You give us what we want, the Waller  appointment, and we will give you what you want, the Chief's position. No one benefits from these dirty deals, least of all the people of Hartford, who suffer the consequences daily from lawsuit settlements and more mismanagement.

These details aren't just my recollection, FOX61 also recently aired a story with actual recordings of Chief Huertas making the exact same comments about he landed his position and the political influence and pressure that was exerted on him.

I am pretty confident that a Federal Investigation would find numerous examples of criminal wrong doing as well as a variety of Civil Right violation that occur almost daily at the HFD and throughout Hartford City Hall from a Mayor and Administration that almost seem like they are under some veil of immunity that allows them to operate the way they do.

This environment of lawlessness needs to change. The States Attorney had to come in the last time and clean the scum out with a Grand Jury, I think now maybe the Federal Corruption Task Force, which has mostly gone unnoticed since its inception, has a huge opportunity here to prove its worth.

And before all the comments start flying, this is not about Dan Nolan, Tom Dalton, Michael Patterson , or even Kevin Bell. This is about what is right. The people of Hartford deserve that and every member of the Hartford Fire Department deserves that. They need to know that when they are risking their lives, hey are doing it under the best leadership possible, not under the highest bidder.

Monday, August 17, 2015

HARTFORD UNSUNG HEROES

 
The brand new bicycles donated by the Allan's for Hartford's children. On display at yesterday's Maple Avenue NRZ Community Day
 
Lately it seems that we hear all the negatives of every police action but so many good deeds by police officer's in our community go unnoticed The following example is something that isn't new, but it has gone mostly unnoticed for the last several years.

Each year the Maple Avenue NRZ has a community day outing behind the Webster Theater. The event is organized each year by Hyacinth Yennie, chairperson of the Maple Avenue NRZ and a tireless advocate for Hartford's neighborhoods. Yennie, through  her NRZ has enveloped the true meaning of community policing and the results definitely show.

Yennie and her members have developed strong ties with police officers assigned to the south end and sometimes it almost seem like a family relationship more than a Police /Community relationship.

Recently the Lieutenant assigned to the Southend for the last several years has been reassigned as the Commander of the HPD Traffic Division. Lieutenant Robert Allan continues to show his regard and concern for those in the Maple Avenue NRZ area, even though it is no longer his assigned area.

A few years ago, Lt.  Allan and his wife Kelly came up with an idea to donate a couple bicycles for a giveaway to children from the area that may not actually have bikes. CCMC (Connecticut Children's Medical Center) also donated bike helmets for the young riders. The look of surprise and appreciation on the luck recipients was amazing. The first year a young boy claimed his new bike, telling everyone it was the first bike he ever had owned.

Over the years , the Allan's have "upped"  their game, Yesterday, through their own generosity and with the help of others, including the Hartford Elks,  Lt. Allan and his wife were able to donate and give away over 30 brand new bikes to Hartford Children, complete with donated helmets.

This is what community policing is about. Congratulations to Chief Rovella and the men and women of his Department who clearly "get it" and understand their role in  making Hartford a better place to live.

The Hartford Police Union provided complimentary hot dogs and hamburgers for those attending.
 
A little Princess claiming her brand new bike yesterday at Maple Avenue NRZ Community Day

MORE HARTFORD FIRE TROUBLE: LIEUTENANT PUNCHES CAPTAIN AT FIRE SCENE

Hartford Fire LT Michael Patterson, 2013 arrest photo from HPD
 
 
Hartford Fire Department Lieutenant Michael Patterson is at it again. Patterson, a Lieutenant, is reported to have gotten into a verbal altercation with his ranking officer, Captain Thomas Dalton, at a fire scene over the weekend. The altercation apparently escalated when Patterson punched Dalton in the chest. Patterson was eventually restrained by other firefighters. Dalton did not return blows and withdrew from the situation and reported it to his District Chief.

I think they call that insubordination when you disobey the order of a ranking officer. I guess we will see if that applies to all or just one. As of right now, Patterson is still on full duty

The City of Hartford, including HFD, has a zero tolerance policy for workplace violence. I guess we will see if zero tolerance means zero tolerance , or will this incident also be swept under the carpet.

If you recognize the name Michael Patterson, it might be because he was arrested by the Hartford Police after a domestic violence incident in his home where numerous weapons were found in the open on a bed in his child's bedroom. The weapons were seized by HPD subsequent to Patterson's arrest. You can read the details on that incident here:lhttp://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2013/10/hartford-fire-lieutenant-arrested-for.html.

Here is the Hartford Fire Departments "Fire Service Report". The Fire Service is HFD's version of an incident report. WARNING: This report has not been edited, strong language and obscenities  are reported as is.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

 
 
I am probably going to shock many people by saying this , but if Pedro Segarra had started acting like a Mayor almost six years ago, he probably wouldn't have been a half bad Mayor. To start doing the job now, just weeks before a difficult primary is obnoxious and disgraceful.

Did it take a tough primary fight for Segarra to realize that many of our neighborhoods are filthy and needed attention? He launched a program this week to focus on the filth. Did his City Hall brain trust just realize they could put together a program to address our dirty streets. Why now and not five years ago?

For years our police staffing has been steadily dropping. A good manager would have realized that the result of hirng new recruits 25 years ago would  mean that they would be applying for retirement 225 years later. That means now Mr. Mayor, resulting in a large amount of vacancies caused by the attrition. It has decimated the ranks of HPD and only now because it has become a campaign issue, Segarra has begun addressing it. Why now Pedro and not five years ago?

Throughout the community, people are telling me that they are seeing Segarra attending functions that he hasn't attended in years  or paid attention to at all. Now he is attending everything possible with his campaign entourage, trolling for votes. Why now Pedro and not five years go?

Even the Hartford Fire Department , which has been exhibiting its dysfunctional leadership for years is now getting election year attention. when it was pointed out both here and on local television that HFD was ignoring mandatory state statutes for  Life Safety Inspections of Hartford structures, Segarra has suddenly found the money to supplement funding for additional fire inspectors. I am not sure how we are allowed to ignore state laws, especially when we have experienced loss of lives that could be attributed to lax inspections. Why now Pedro and not five years ago?

Every press release coming out of Segarra's office lately seems to be for another election year stunt , orchestrated to gain free media attention to make it look like Segarra is actually ding something. The only problem though is that every stunt is for something that has been well under his control for several years. If he is only going to do the work of Mayor for six months of his term before the election, we should be asking him for  refund of the other 3 and a half years of the salary we paid him.

Luke Bronin talks a lot about accountability. We need to make it clear to Luke that when elected Mayor, we expect to get our moneys worth from him everyday, not just a couple months before the next election. Somehow I think we will get our salarys worth from Bronin and his Team  from day one.

FROM HPD: MISSING PERSON

 
 
The Hartford Police Department Special Investigations Division and the Major Crimes Division are conducting a missing person investigation for a Tashauna Jackson 23 from Hartford. She was last seen on 8/11/2015,  at approximately 11pm where she reportedly was in the company of male, and was seen entering his vehicle of her own free will. On 8/12/15 she was reported missing. Since then, the male and his vehicle have been located. The vehicle has been seized by HPD. The male has been interviewed by Detectives. Ms Jackson has not been located. Ms Jackson has never gone missing in the past. Ground searches in secluded areas of the region have been conducted. The investigation is ongoing.

While the circumstances surrounding this disappearance do not fall under the criteria of a Silver or Amber Alert, investigators are extremely concerned with Ms Jackson's safety. We are asking anyone with any knowledge of Ms Jackson's whereabouts to contact HPD as soon as possible- Sgt Andrew Weaver 860-757-4214. Anonymous tips can be left at the HPD Website.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

MAPLE AVENUE NRZ COMMUNITY DAY THIS SUNDAY

The Maple Avenue/Barry Square NRZ will hold its annual community day this Sunday behind the Webster Theater on Webster Street in the Barry Square neighborhood. The event will be held from 11:00am to 4:00PM rain or shine.

The event is free of charge and open to the public. Free refreshments will be served. A raffle will be held for bicycles to be given away. The Hartford Police Department  the Hartford Public Library and many other groups will be represented at the event.

For more information , contact Hyacinth Yennie at 860-883-0383