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Wednesday, July 19, 2017

LUKE BRONIN'S DANGEROUS GAME OF RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH PUBLIC SAFETY IN HARTFORD

 
BRONIN FOR MAYOR- WERE WE PLAYED FOR FOOLS?
 
 
If you are going to run a campaign criticizing the previous Mayor for his lack of efforts related to Public Safety and promise to support Police and Fire efforts in hiring and be strong on Public Safety, then DAMN IT come through on what you promised.

Does anyone else remember Luke Bronin's publicized visits to homicide and shooting victims with the media following him during campaign season. Where are those visits now, or do crime victims only matter when you are running for votes claiming you are going to be tough on crime? Have I missed Bronin's visits to any of Hartford's 15 homicide victims families this year or even the numerous shooting victims, or maybe he is just not taking the media like he did at campaign time.

I think leaders can be measured by their character and actions AFTER they get elected, not before hand when they are busy conning the voters and busy buying their votes.

 I know, I know, how naive can I be. It is all part of the political game, say whatever you have to say to get elected and once you win you can forget everything you promised until the next election cycle.

Well, it is time we start paying attention to facts and not political rhetoric.

The fact is that both the Hartford Police and Fire Departments are in worse shape now that they were the day Luke Bronin took office.

Another fact is that Hartford is becoming more violent by the day. A 63 year old man , Jeff Worrell was  murdered this past Sunday. His gray matter splattered on a picnic table on Westland Street as he was enjoying a Sunday afternoon in a park. Shot in the head most likely by an 18 year old thug with a gun in his hand. Most likely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for Jeff Worrell, which makes it even more disgusting.

This most likely wasn't a case of a drug deal gone bad or some gang activity, instead it was most likely an 18 year old thug trying to prove how tough he was by being able to pull a trigger on an illegal handgun in his possession. He just happened to not be able to aim and hit the wrong person. Not the person that threw the bottle at his car that he was trying to hit, but instead  his bullet shattered the skull and spattered the brains of a 63 year old man enjoying a peaceful Sunday.

Much of that can be attributed to the growing lawlessness in Hartford.

Lawlessness that has so many root causes, but the lack of Police Officers on our streets is a big part of it. Despite Luke Bronin's campaign promises, we have probably seen 12 new police officers hired and hitting Hartford's Streets during the Bronin Administration. Another class of 14 is in the Academy now, but that is a far cry from the almost 150 officers the City is short. Add to that the lack of a police contract and the lack of support from City Hall for our police officers and I think you get the picture.  Those numbers have not provided any net gain for HPD as the attrition due to retirements and Officers leaving for other Departments has far outweighed any additional replacements.

There isn't a lot of pro-active policing going on under the Bronin "leadership" and neither is there a lot of spare time for it in a Police Department that is spread dangerously thin, and the same goes for the fire department also. Excessive fatigue is a potential recipe for disaster in both agencies.

Numerous "Shotspotter" activations  indicating actual gunshots are a regular and numerous daily occurrence in Hartford.

Yesterday, apparently 6 juveniles joy riding in a stolen SUV, mowed down a couple of pedestrians on Sigourney Street. According to a PD source, one of the victims had a leg amputated by the vehicle after it struck her. In a move that makes you wonder what values young people are being raised with, a young man was more intent on recording the severed leg and posting it to facebook than rendering any assistance to the victims laying on the sidewalk before EMS arrived

The class of 40 Fire recruits that was supposed to start in May actually started last Monday, but that is still a drop in the bucket to the numbers that are needed to restore HFD to the levels it needs to properly function without endangering other firefighters from fatigue. At last count, HFD is roughly 120 firefighters short. And a class of another 70 is needed to attain basic numbers. The City is waiting for approval on a Federal Grant to hire another 70, but there is no guarantee that will happen.

The Hartford Police Department is in a similar, if not worse, situation. The exact number varies depending on who you talk to, bust most estimates are that HPD is close to 150 officers short. Since Bronin has taken office, one Academy class of 14 officers has graduated and another class of 14 is currently in the Academy. Those numbers have not provided any net gain for HPD as the attrition due to retirements and Officers leaving for other Departments has far outweighed any additional replacements.

This attrition has resulted in fewer Community Service Officer's on the streets, the elimination of the pro-active Condition's Units, and overall a general reduction of Police presence on the streets of Hartford. Hartford's Animal Control Officers have also faced the axe due to budget cuts by Mayor Bronin.

Every day these conditions exist, Hartford Police Officers and Firefighters  face an increased risk of harm in their positions and the people of Hartford also face increased risks  by Bronin's false election promises.

It is time the Mayor is held accountable for statements he used and made to get elected.

According to Bronin's election website:   "Whether it’s the Department of Public Works, the Finance Department, or the Fire Department, we can’t try to ignore or hide our challenges or our weaknesses. We need to get under the hood, shine a light on the problems, and fix what’s broken.". I am not sure Luke has even been able to find the latch to open the hood yet because he hasn't done much to fix the problems.

It still seems to be "the sky is falling" mantra. Give me what I want or I'll declare Bankruptcy is what we keep hearing, but I haven't seen much done yet to change or fix Hartford's structural challenges. After almost two years into the Bronin Administration, the whining is wearing thin. Luke , you were elected to do a job, not put on your big boy pants and  do it.

In your first "State of the City" address in 2016, you stated "

"In years past, we might have hoped for relief from the State of Connecticut. Today, the State of Connecticut faces its own crisis, and the best we can probably hope for is to avoid getting cut.
 
We can’t expect any bailouts from the State."
 
Yet this year you further indebted the City of Hartford by borrowing millions of dollars based on a promise from a Legislator that money was coming from the State. That promise was never fulfilled  and it doesn't look like it will be any time soon and quite frankly, I think Legislators are tired of your stunts at the Capitol and I still have the text messages on my phone to prove it ( but no one is ever going to see those because I understand confidentiality).
 
So again Luke, I have to ask you, "What is your plan?"
 
And running around threatening bankruptcy and yelling the sky is falling, is not a plan, if it were , we would have the $ 50 million dollar payments coming in that the large corporations promised when you come up with a viable plan for sustainability.
 
 Forget your future political aspirations and start doing the job you were elected to do for the people of Hartford, it probably won't move you up the political ladder as you had hoped, but it is what you promised. And I am sure as your parents tried to raise you right, you were told "your word is your bond " and "integrity matters". So now live up to it and stop being a politician.
 
Lives depend on it
Two more people were the most recent innocent victims of Hartford's senseless violence and lawlessness. I believe that yellow plastic in the foreground is covering the severed leg of one of the victims. The same body parts that a young man was recording to post on Facebook, before EMS covered it.

 
 

QUICK WORK BY HPD- SUSPECT IN CUSTODY

 
 
Jorge Burgos, a Hartford resident is in custody.

Burgos was apparently a "person of interest" wanted in questioning related to Sunday afternoons homicide of 63 year old Jeff Worrell.

Burgos was initially located in a stolen vehicle on Coleman Drive in Hartford. Burgos fled as he was approached by officers, ramming two HPD cruisers and eluding police. The stolen vehicle was eventually located several hours later , unoccupied, on Harold Street in Hartford. The vehicle was located a short distance from Burgos's mothers house at 597 Blue Hills Avenue. A subsequent search of that address turned up empty for Burgos.

Burgos was eventually located later in the day and taken into custody on charges related to the earlier chase and vehicle theft.

No charges have been filed yet for any  involvement in the homicide.

Monday, July 17, 2017

THE OLYMPIAN AND MY SISTER ON "WE THE PEOPLE"

This weeks "WE THE PEOPLE" program is one that I am very proud of.

 Not so much because of the program, but more because of the content.

 My guests today were my sister, Sheryl Haraghey and her son Andrew.

Andrew has qualified for the Winter Paralympics to be held in South Korea in 2018 Andrew is a downhill Alpine skier.

 For regular readers of the blog, I have written about Andrew's endeavors as he has worked toward his goal of competing in the Paralympics. Andrew and his fellow skiers will be competing on the same slopes and venues used weeks earlier by the 2018 Winter Olympic competitors.

 In this interview we discuss Andrew's life with Cerebral Palsy and his mother and his family's efforts to support him in his quest to ski and eventually compete.

 Andrew is an amazing young man who has met life's challenges head on and excelled in meeting his goals and has been an inspiration to almost everyone who has had the opportunity to meet him.

 You can read more about his efforts at http://andrewraces.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/andrew.races There is also a link there if anyone would wish to help sponsor Andrew in his fundraising efforts for costs associated with the Paralympics  (roughly $10,000.00) https://www.gofundme.com/andrewraces. To those who have been there the last several years supporting Andrew's quest, Thank you. And or those of you willing to donate, Thank you in advance for helping make Andrew's dreams and goals come true.

 

Friday, July 7, 2017

UPDATE: JIMMY NGO TERMINATED FROM HARTFORD FIRE DEPARTMENT

According to sources within the Hartford Fire Department, Jimmy Ngo has officially been terminated from the Hartford Fire Department this afternoon.

Sources claim the decision was made based on information from the Connecticut State Police, given to HFD  that Ngo had admitted in both written statements and through audio and video recordings that he was shot on April 21st as the result of a "drug deal gone bad".

That has yet to be proven and the suspect arrested in the shooting seems less than credible, to me at least, in his statements..

This termination may prove problematic for the City eventually. Although Hartford does have a "zero tolerance" policy for drug use, there is no direct evidence that the drug deal was factual and actually did occur.

If Jimmy Ngo was an alleged drug dealer, there is no place nor should there be, a spot for him at HFD. If it is proven that there was a drug deal in place, so be it, the termination is warranted.

Hopefully the accusations will be proven baseless and if so, Ngo should be restored to his position, with full back pay and benefits.

The HFD contract apparently does not allow for discipline for "off duty" incidents unless it involves a felony arrest. At this point there has been no arrest for Ngo and no indication that any is planned by CSP.

Hartford Fire Chief Reginalg Freeman issued the following brief statement this afternoon:

 "On Wednesday, July 05, 2017, the Hartford fire department conducted an internal investigation pertaining to one of its members (Jimmy Ngo) that was allegedly involved in activity that is in violation of city and department policy. The facts obtained from this internal investigation warranted disciplinary action from the fire department’s administration. As a result of the findings, the member’s employment with the City of Hartford has been terminated, effective immediately. The City of Hartford and Hartford Fire Department has a zero tolerance for violation of its said policies that are counterintuitive to the hard work, dedication and sacrifices made by the greater body. "

THE JIMMY NGO SHOOTING, SOMETHING DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

I am not always correct, and I can admit when I am wrong, but my gut is telling me something stinks here.

Usually when  I post a blog story I get plenty of calls about the subject of the posting. Many of the calls are usually from people familiar with the topic. Some pro, some con, but usually plenty of different opinions.

Jimmy Ngo was an exception to that. Now I have never met Jimmy, but plenty of people who know him have called me though. 100% of the people who called said they never knew or heard of him being involved with drugs. They all painted a picture of a hard working conscientious firefighter, committed to his career. I was told he always had a smile on his face and was professional and polite.

Most of his colleagues were surprised when the word of his shooting on Thursday April 20th began spreading throughout the Hartford Fire Department. People were totally amazed when the details of the arrest of Jesus Perez, the alleged shooter, began emerging this week. Perez's defense seems to be a picture he painted of a drug deal gone bad.

Those details are spelled out in the arrest warrant affidavit that led to Perez's arrest on attempted murder, assault, robbery and firearms  charges this week.

It gets somewhat5 confusing when Detective Meier uses the first six pages of the affidavit to attempt to establish the background and the motive for the shooting. That theory sounds more like the opening of a John Grisham novel. Even though there are numerous references to the drug deal gone bad, there appears to be no attempt to verify the "third party" drug dealers identity, just that he was present. There is also no mention of the type of drugs, the alleged quantity or even if the location Perez claims the drugs were obtained was even a known drug location.

I know, I know, the "narcotics" and the "unknown third party " all disappeared after the shooting according  to the eventually arrested shooter Jesus Perez. But that  seems odd to me that several pages were allotted to Perez's theory of the crime, but nothing to attempt to verify that theory. and if you read the affidavit, Perez seems to have a credibility problem. Why would someone who claims he just witnessed a possible shooting not even call the Police, even  anonymously if needed.

The part that confuses me though is that eventually revealed in paragraph 16. Detective Meier seems to make an abrupt U-turn and lays out a totally different version of the shooting, which seems to be a more factual version than the Grisham novel laid out previously. Jimmy Ngo identified Jesus Perez as the shooter . Ngo seems to make the claim it was because he told Perez he was cutting off the money train he had been providing to him.

Paragraph 16 also once again mentions the elusive "drug deal gone bad". Detective Meier states that the illicit drug deal was "several months" in the planning, yet the timeline doesn't add up. Roughly less than 2 months had gone by since the time Perez claims they began planning the drug deal in early February and the shooting on April 20th. Hardly the several months detailed in the warrant.

And the warrant affidavit is specific about the video obtained from surrounding businesses detailing the times of vehicle movement on the property, yet there is no mention of the vehicle containing the  "unidentified third party". Could that be because there was no third party and the tale weaved by Jesus Perez was an attempt to just cover the shooting of Jimmy Ngo?

The charges in the arrest warrant would seem to confirm Jimmy Ngo's version, resulting in the arrest of Jesus Perez.

I would also question the legitimacy of Ngo's statements and how they would hold up in court considering Ngo had been shot in the head and was most likely under some serious medication at the time. And I would also wonder how someone could waive their Miranda rights under such conditions.

Sources familiar with the incident have told me that Ngo emphatically denies making any statements  about his involvement in at drug deal, as claimed by the alleged shooter Jesus Perez. CSP claims there are audio and video recordings of NGO's statements, as well as written statements. It will be interesting to hear those recordings and see if Ngo appears lucid or disoriented in them.

 Any one who watches any television knows that you should "lawyer up"  under such circumstances, yet Jesus Perez laid out the details of the alleged "drug deal gone bad" in his first telephone conversation with the State Police detectives as detailed in paragraph 10. Perez spilled his guts to CSP Detective McGlynn less than 14 hours after the shooting, in a phone call none the less.

I know that the facts might look bad for Jimmy Ngo right now, but hopefully the people who called me in support of Jimmy will be proven correct as the facts unwind. There will be a quite a few disappointed people who had high hopes for a young Hartford Firefighter if it doesn't.

You can read the arrest warrant affidavit here

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

ARREST MADE IN SHOOTING OF HARTFORD FIREFIGHTER-THE ARREST WARRANT APPLICATION

 
 
I have to say, this is not what I expected, but everyone is innocent until proven guilty and I think there is still a lot more to come out on this.

The following statement was issued by Hartford's Fire Chief Reginald Freeman this afternoon


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Arresting Affidavit
 
Here is the official statement from Fire Chief Reginald Freeman regarding the today’s arraignment and released affidavit:
 
“I am conducting a thorough investigation into any improper conduct related to this incident in conjunction with other city agencies. The Hartford Fire Department expects all employees to live by the highest ethical and professional standards at all times.  There is absolutely zero tolerance for the kind of illegal activity depicted/alleged in the arresting affidavit.   By no means, should this incident be reflective of the hard work and sacrifice that is demonstrated on a daily basis by the men and women of the Hartford Fire Department. After the investigation is complete, if warranted, this administration will determine what disciplinary measures need to be taken.”
 
 
"We serve to save"
 
The arrest warrant application for Jesus Perez: