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Thursday, January 10, 2019

HPD CHIEF DAVID ROSADO'S RESPONSE TO TROMBONE ARREST

> From: "Rosado, David"
> Date: January 9, 2019 at 5:16:49 PM EST
>
> Subject: RE: musician arrest in downtown
>
> Good evening all:

> Please see (italicized) responses to your questions below, as well as police reports attached.  Overall, our department has not been and will not be pursuing any specific enforcement of the noise ordinance, and in terms of this incident, I hope it will be clear that our officers tried to deescalate the situation several times before it unfortunately resulted in an arrest.  As always, I am available to discuss this issue or any other issues.


> Can you please provide more details?

> Over the past several weeks, several officers have responded to noise complaints related to Isaiah Robinson playing a trombone in the area of 811 Main Street (Burger King).  Our dispatch records show seven citizen-initiated complaints logged between November 16, 2018 and Mr. Robinson’s arrest on December 20, 2018.  These complaints have come from Mr. Charles Wareham, owner of Valark Financial located at 750 Main Street.  Each of the police responses were initiated by a complainant and not by the Police Department or any of the officers.

> The responding officers have made numerous attempts to mitigate the complaint and find a compromise between the complainant and Mr. Robinson.  The area Community Service Officer, Adam DeMaine, had several interactions with Mr. Robinson including one on December 3, 2018 where he documented his efforts under case number 18-36716.  This report outlines the complainant’s issues, details Officer DeMaine’s attempt to explain the City noise ordinance to Mr. Robinson, describes Mr. Robinson’s uncooperative and combative attitude, lists some of the suggested compromises and a referral to Janice Castle, Director of Community Engagement, and ultimately documents that Officer DeMaine issued Mr. Robinson a verbal warning and informed him he could be arrested if the violations continued.  Due to the behavior exhibited by Mr. Robinson, Officer DeMaine call a supervisor, Sergeant Ramundi, to the scene to further attempt a dialogue.  Mr. Robinson did not cooperate with Sergeant Ramundi either.

> In the weeks leading up to the December 20th incident, at least six other officers responded and attempted to resolve this issue, none resulting in an arrest.  Due to the allegation that race was involved in this arrest, it is important to note that responding officers over the course of the previous weeks included males and females of different races, including Officer Tiffany Wilson, a black female, and Sergeant Steve Austin, a black male supervisor.  Mr. Robinson was also referred to Janice Castle by CSO Adam DeMaine.  Mr. Robinson met with Ms. Castle and refused her advice, indicating that the only problem was that the police were harassing him because he is black.

> The Hartford Business Improvement District also attempted to mitigate the issue.  They purchased and delivered a device for Mr. Robinson’s trombone that would allow people passing by to hear his music, while muffling the sound for people in the distance.  The device was purchased on December 4th and delivered by Block by Block Supervisor Rodney Crockett.  Mr. Robinson refused to use the device.

> On December 20th, the police were again called again by Mr. Wareham to 811 Main Street for a noise complaint related to Mr. Robinson playing the trombone.  The initial officer responded and attempted to speak with Robinson.  Mr. Robinson would not speak with him and ultimately stated, “Fuck you! I’m gonna play my horn until you arrest me” and walked into Burger King.  The officer requested an additional unit for backup.

> When backup arrived, they attempted to speak with the complainant, Mr. Wareham.  Mr. Robinson charged toward the complainant and officers, yelling profanities and calling the complainant a, “bitch.”
> Mr. Robinson was instructed to back away because he was causing the complainant alarm and not allowing the officers to investigate the complaint.  He was warned that he would be arrested and did not cease his aggressive behavior.  His actions justified his arrest for interfering with a police officer and breach of peace.  At this point there were two officers and a probationary police officer of field training present.  When the officers attempted to arrest Mr. Robinson, he physically resisted.

> Officer Cotto then says over the radio, “Get us more cars here…now!”

> The dispatcher asks if he is all set and Officer Cotto responds, “Not right now, that’s why we need more cars.”

> Not knowing what was happening, several units began to respond to the officers’ location.  While waiting for help to arrive, the three officers on scene continued to struggle with Robinson.  At one point Robinson was able to pull away and run out into the street away from the officers but was re-secured.  Mr. Robinson was eventually secured in the back of a police vehicle.  He then began kicking the window frame from the inside, bending the door of the police car out away from the frame.

> Several units arrived and where released by the on-scene supervisor because Mr. Robinson was already secured in the vehicle.

> Attached you will find the incident report, the use of force report and photographs of the damaged police vehicle from case number 18-38529.  You will also find the incident report for an earlier noise complaint, case number 18-36716 (12/03/2018). The dispatch audio recordings and the video are available to listen to and view upon request but are too large to attach via email.



> 1) How many officers were called to the scene?

> Initially one officer responded to the call.  Two officers, one of whom was a Probationary Police Officer, also arrived shortly after the first officer arrived.

> One of the three officers radioed for additional help when Mr. Robinson began resisting arrest, but did not specify how many additional officers were needed.  If everyone that was responding to the call actually made it there, a total of twelve officers, one sergeant, and one lieutenant would have been on-scene.  However, some officers were called off as others arrived.



> 2) Who called to make a complaint?

> ·         On 11/16/2018 at 12:55 P.M. Charles Wareham called police from 750 Main Street for a noise complaint.

> ·         On 11/26/2018 at 2:11 P.M. A citizen called another city office, which reported a noise complaint at 811 Main Street (Burger King).

> ·         On 11/29/2018 at 3:16 P.M. Charles Wareham called police from 750 Main Street for a noise complaint/breach of peace.

> ·         On 12/03/2018 at 1:11 P.M. Charles Wareham called police from 750 Main Street for a suspicious person/noise complaint.

> ·         On 12/10/2018 at 3:27 P.M. a “Charles” called police from 750 Main Street for a noise complaint.

> ·         On 12/17/2018 at 2:44 P.M. Mr. Wareham also called police for a noise complaint.

> ·         The complainant on 12/20/2018 was Charles Wareham who works at 750 Main Street.  He called at 12:33 P.M. reporting a noise complaint.



> 3) What does the arrest entail?

> Isaiah Robinson was charged with the following:
> Interfering with Police                                    53a-167a
> Criminal Mischief in the first degree 53a-115
> Breach of Peace in the second degree           53a-181
> Excessive Noise                                               City Ordinance 23-1

> Interfering with Police – As Officers Bell, Cotto and Probationary Officer Rome attempted to interview the complainant, Mr. Robinson yelled profanities at the complainant and officers and refused to back away so that the officers could conduct the investigation and, “making it impossible for [officers] to speak with the complainant” and hindering the investigation.  Mr. Robinson then resisted arrest, broke away from officers and attempted to flee, and physically resisted getting in the police vehicle, kicking officer Bell in the process.

> “Sec. 53a-167a. Interfering with an officer: Class A misdemeanor or class D felony. (a) A person is guilty of interfering with an officer when such person obstructs, resists, hinders or endangers any peace officer, special policeman appointed under section 29-18b, motor vehicle inspector designated under section 14-8 and certified pursuant to section 7-294d or firefighter in the performance of such peace officer's, special policeman's, motor vehicle inspector's or firefighter's duties.
> (b) Interfering with an officer is a class A misdemeanor, except that, if such violation causes the death or serious physical injury of another person, such person shall be guilty of a class D felony.”

> Criminal Mischief in the first degree – Mr. Robinson used both feet to kick the rear door of the police car from the inside, causing the door to bend out away from the vehicle frame (attached photos).

> “Sec. 53a-115. Criminal mischief in the first degree: Class D felony. (a) A person is guilty of criminal mischief in the first degree when: (1) With intent to cause damage to tangible property of another and having no reasonable ground to believe that such person has a right to do so, such person damages tangible property of another in an amount exceeding one thousand five hundred dollars, or (2) with intent to cause an interruption or impairment of service rendered to the public and having no reasonable ground to believe that such person has a right to do so, such person damages or tampers with tangible property of a utility or mode of public transportation, power or communication, and thereby causes an interruption or impairment of service rendered to the public, or (3) with intent to cause damage to any electronic monitoring equipment owned or leased by the state or its agent and required as a condition of probation or conditional discharge pursuant to section 53a-30, as a condition of release pursuant to section 54-64a or as a condition of community release pursuant to section 18-100c, and having no reasonable ground to believe that such person has a right to do so, such person damages such electronic monitoring equipment and thereby causes an interruption in its ability to function, or (4) with intent to cause an interruption or impairment of service rendered to the public and having no reasonable ground to believe that such person has a right to do so, such person damages or tampers with (A) any tangible property owned by the state, a municipality or a person for fire alarm or police alarm purposes, (B) any telecommunication system operated by the state police or a municipal police department, (C) any emergency medical or fire service dispatching system, (D) any fire suppression equipment owned by the state, a municipality, a person or a fire district, or (E) any fire hydrant or hydrant system owned by the state or a municipality, a person, a fire district or a private water company, or (5) with intent to cause damage to tangible property owned by the state or a municipality that is located on public land and having no reasonable ground to believe that such person has a right to do so, such person damages such tangible property in an amount exceeding one thousand five hundred dollars.”
> Breach of Peace in the second degree – While officers were interviewing the complainant, Mr. Robinson, “charged up to Wareham, cussing at him for calling the police.”  Mr. Robinson refused to step back from the complainant and officers and continued, “yelling and cursing at the complainant while flailing his hands about” and calling the complainant a “bitch’ and saying, “Fuck you!”
> Officers reported that the complaint was, “alarmed” and “visibly shaken.”
> Officer Bell indicated in his report that he, “became concerned that Robinson was going to assault the complainantbased on his erratic behavior.”

> “Sec. 53a-181. Breach of the peace in the second degree: Class B misdemeanor. (a) A person is guilty of breach of the peace in the second degree when, with intent to cause inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, such person: (1) Engages in fighting or in violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior in a public place; or (2) assaults or strikes another; or (3) threatens to commit any crime against another person or such other person's property; or (4) publicly exhibits, distributes, posts up or advertises any offensive, indecent or abusive matter concerning any person; or (5) in a public place, uses abusive or obscene language or makes an obscene gesture; or (6) creates a public and hazardous or physically offensive condition by any act which such person is not licensed or privileged to do. For purposes of this section, “public place” means any area that is used or held out for use by the public whether owned or operated by public or private interests.”

> Excessive Noise – Officers used Google Maps to estimate the distance from where Mr. Robinson was playing the trombone to both the complainants business, 750 Main Street (350 feet) and to where Officer Bell exited his patrol car and heard the trombone, Main and Pearl Street (220 feet).
> “City Ordinance 23-1 - In the absence of a sound level meter, noise will be plainly audible when noise can be heard at a distance of one hundred (100) feet from its source, by a person of normal hearing.”



> 4) Will other officers be called to scenes for other individuals who are busking or street performing artists in Hartford or is downtown being targeted as a specific area?

> There is no proactive enforcement in place related to busking activities, and there is no specific charge for busking.



> 5) Previous to this busking arrest, how many arrest does HPD typically do in the downtown area for busking? For average purposes would like to know how many arrests occurred from 2017-2018 in downtown.

> There is no specific charge for busking.  City Ordinance 23-1 addresses noise and does not speak specifically to busking or list it as an exception.


> *Due to this arrest, does this now mean that HPD is now cracking down on busking in general?

> As stated, there is no proactive enforcement in place related to busking activities.  As indicative by the six previous Hartford Police responses to this issue at 811 Main Street, officers attempt to resolve these issues without making arrests or issuing citations.



> Thank you,

> David Rosado
> Chief of Police
> Hartford Police Department
> 253 High Street
> Hartford, Connecticut 06103
> Cell (860) 508-2575
> Office (860) 757-4025

> From: Rosado, David
> Sent: Tuesday, January 8, 2019 5:24 PM
> To: Fox, Claudine
> Cc: Leslie Hammond ; Bermudez, Wildaliz ; Medina, Rafael ; Bowsza, Brian J. ; Torres, Agnes ; Sanchez, James ; Thomas J. Clarke II ; Rosado, Maly ; Winch, Rosezina J. ; Kirkley-Bey, Kelly ; Green-Ortiz, Haylee ; Murray, Kevin ; Perez-Caraballo, Jeniffer ; Thody, Jason C. ; Montanez, Thea ; Srivastava, Vas
> Subject: Re: musician arrest in downtown

> Good evening all:

> Thank you for your correspondence. We are in the process of gathering the requested information and should have a response by close the of business tomorrow.

> Thank you for your patience.
>
> David Rosado
> Chief of Police
> Hartford Police Department
> 253 High Street
> Hartford, Connecticut 06103
> Cell (860) 508-2575
> Office (860) 757-4025

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

MAPLE AVE. N.R.Z. TO MEET THURSDAY

The Maple Avenue Revitalization Group will meet Thursday evening at 6:00PM in the basement of Saint Augustine Church at 10 Campfield Avenue.

Topics  on the agenda will include an MDC update and A Public Safety update by the Hartford Police Department.

All are welcome , refreshments served

Sunday, December 30, 2018

MY FRIEND, THE GENTLEMAN COP

Chief Rovella before our walk through Bushnell Park several years ago


This past week has been a difficult week. I was made aware of a secret that I had to promise to keep a secret.until it was announced publicly. Jim Rovella was being appointed to Commissioner of Public Safety by Governor -elect Ned Lamont. There probably aren't many people as qualified as Jim Rovella to rise to that position and Lamont made a great decision.

Many people were probably skeptical when Rovella was brought back to take the reins as Chief of the Hartford Police Department several years ago. It was during a very violent time in Hartford and crime was heading quickly toward being out of control. Now keep in mind, Rovella had retired years earlier from HPD at the rank of detective. From what I am told by many, Rovella had a reputation throughout new England as being one of the best homicide detectives in the business when he retired.

Again , as the story goes, after his retirement from HPD Rovella went to the State's Attorney Office as an Inspector and eventually rose to the rank of Chief Inspector, supervising the other Inspector's in the States Attorney's Office. As crime continued out of control, especially with shootings, gun violence and homicides, Rovella's boss at the time, Chief States Attorney  Kevin Kane was summoned to Governor Malloy's Office for a meeting.

The version I have been told by several people that were also in attendance at that meeting were that Governor Malloy's orders to State Attorney Kane were simple. "Do something about the crime in Hartford".

Doing something eventually resulted in Jim Rovella's return to Hartford. Rovella's ideas gave birth to what eventually became known as the "Shooting Task Force" . STF as it was called had huge results right from the start and began taking guns and violent criminals off the street almost immediately. STF was a combined effort brought together under Rovella's guidance of  numerous agencies, including State Federal and several local municipalities surrounding Hartford.

Unlike typical operations, it included agencies such as Probation and Parole, Corrections and even a Prosecutor from the Court to oversee arrests..

That is where I first met Jim Rovella. On a Good Friday evening shortly after the STF inception, I was given permission to go inside STF to put together a public access program about STF. I was meeting with the HPD Lieutenant who was supervising STF operations. At the time, one of the worst kept secrets was that STF was headquartered in an old school and all operations were being run out of there. It wasn't prime office space, but the building had heat and lights and was available.

As I was meeting with the HPD Lieutenant getting my explanation about STF, this guy walked in that I have never met before. I am not sure how to describe it , but he had a command presence and everyone in the room seemed to come to attention . It turned out that guy was Jim Rovella.. Like a proud father showing off his new baby, he walked me around explaining how and why STF was producing solid results

I remember going to the back hall that was pretty much off limits to public view. On the full length of the hallway were 8 1/2" by 11" full size color mugshots of criminals with arrows and notes connecting them to each other basically forming the nexus of Hartford's violent crime problem. It mad sense and under Jim Rovella's guidance it worked.

Eventually, when the spot became open, Jim Rovella was brought back as Hartford's Police Chief and continued producing results. After he became Chief, Rovella asked me to meet him back at the spot we first met, the School housing the STF Operations. Chief Rovella walked me through the old scholl and explained to me his vision for the dilapidated building. It was going to continue to house the HPD Police Academy, but Rovella also had visions for re-starting the PAL Program to get an early start for working with Hartford youth

Much like STF, the PAL program was re-constituted under Chief Rovella's guidance and is producing huge results across the City.

Unfortunately, despite Rovella's numerous requests to City Hall, staffing levels continued to drop to dangerous , unmanageable levels and City Hall refused to hire new officers.

Rather than accept defeat, Rovella relied on technology and kept HPD moving forward with creative innovations and the old saying "doing more with less". Under Chief Rovella's leadedrship, "C4" was born. C4, the Capitol City Crime Center is a state of the art network of cameras and fiber optic network linking video cameras across the City to HPD for viewing . The network has already produced impressive results in monitoring Hartford for crime and traffic issues.

Rovella was creative in his vision to keep HPD productive though technology , but he also realized that nothing can beat the personal relationships that come from Community Policing. Rovella struggled to keep the Community Policing program intact, especially after it was recognized by the White House. Despite  that recognition, the reality of  staffing levels resulted in some of those initiatives being scaled back, but Jim Rovella was and is always a welcome addition to Community meetings across the City ( also his wife Sandy is a familiar face at community events)

Although some may say that Jim Rovella was "just a detective" when he originally left HPD, but I do know others who tested well and moved up higher, but the could never hold a candle to Jim Rovella and his leadership. Chief, soon to be Commissioner,  Rovella clearly knows what he is doing when it comes to law enforcement management and I think the results he produced during his tenure as Hartford's  Chief ,proves that. I hate to think what might have happened without  Jim Rovella as Chief and how many other people could have held the operation together under the adverse budget and staffing conditions he faced.

I could go on with more Chief Rovella stories and things he personally taught me and how he tried to teat every officer  as his own kids, but I've rattled on enough. Suffice it to say, Governor -elect Lamont made a very wise choice by nominating Jim Rovella for this next chapter in his life.

Congratulations Commissioner.

Friday, December 28, 2018

LOCAL GUY MAKES GOOD, CONGRATULATIONS COMMISIONER DESIGNATE ROVELLA

Gov.-Elect Lamont Nominates James Rovella as Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection

Rovella selects Regina Rush-Kittle as Deputy Commissioner for Emergency Management; Stavros Mellekas as State Police Colonel

New Haven, CT –  Governor-elect Ned Lamont today announced that he has nominated James Rovella as Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). In addition, Rovella has selected Regina Rush-Kittle as Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Management and Stavros Mellekas as State Police Colonel.

“James, Regina, and Stavros are experienced law enforcement officers, having dedicated their lives to keeping our streets and communities safe in Connecticut,” said Lamont. “I am proud to welcome these three dedicated public servants to my administration’s leadership team. Together, we are deeply committed to making sure our state remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”

“I thank Governor-elect Lamont for the trust he has placed in me to lead the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection,” said Rovella. “My decades in public safety have been guided by a commitment to building trust between law enforcement personnel and the local communities in which they serve. That priority will remain a focus as I work to make this state a safer home for all of our residents.”



“I am grateful for the opportunity to return to public service in Connecticut,” said Rush-Kittle. “I enjoyed my time at DESPP working with the men and women who help keep this state safe, and I appreciate the opportunity to begin this next chapter of my career. Working together, we can ensure that Connecticut’s residents are safe and the criminal justice community and advocacy organizations alike are part of the solution.”



“Our State Troopers risk their lives every day to protect our communities, and I am eager to begin this new role advocating on their behalf,” said Mellekas. “Having a number of different assignments within the State Police will allow me to better support my colleagues and work with the administration to make Connecticut a safe place to live and work.”



James Rovella has devoted his career to public safety, starting as a patrol officer, then detective, with the Hartford Police Department. Rovella then served 12 years for the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, where he eventually became Chief Inspector and oversaw all Medicaid fraud, financial, and statewide criminal cases for the state's chief law enforcement officer. In 2012, Rovella returned to Hartford to become its Chief of Police. Rovella was recognized by President Obama and the White House for strengthening community relations in Hartford.



Regina Rush-Kittle has more than three decades in law enforcement and the military, including 28 years with the Connecticut State Police. Prior to her time with the State Police, Rush-Kittle served for two years with the Middletown Police Department and two years with the Connecticut Department of Correction. Rush-Kittle also served with distinction for thirty years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and U.S. Army Reserves. She is a recipient of the Bronze Star.



Stavros Mellekas has served for nearly 25 years with the Connecticut State Police, starting as a patrol trooper and rising through the ranks to eventually become a Lieutenant Colonel. Mellekas currently oversees field operations for all three state districts, each of the three Major Crime squads, and the Bureau of Special Investigations. He has been awarded several citations for outstanding police work and meritorious service.



Rovella will begin serving as the Commissioner-designate when the Governor-elect is inaugurated on January 9. His nomination will be sent to the General Assembly for its advice and consent.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

DON'T LET THE FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF THE HEADLINE



I was almost going to title this posting as "FAKE NEWS" but someone else has been using that phrase a lot lately, so I will try to stay original and just stick to the facts.

A couple months ago I received a tip about Hartford Assistant Police Chief Jason Thody allegedly compromising himself in a deposition with what the source said was perjury on Thody's part. They claimed the facts were all well documented in the transcripts of the deposition . It sounded like it was going to be a good story once it all fell into place.

Once I started looking into the accusations, it went from what I thought was going to be a potential good story to a very definite NO story and the tip as described just wasn't panning out..

Now a little background here.  just to set the stage.  I have not been a longtime fan of Assistant Chief Jason Thody. Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog or searches my archives will most likely find some very negative postings.

A few months ago I received a call from HPD's new Police Chief David Rosado. He was well aware that I was not a fan of Jason Thody. Chief Rosado was planning on appointing Thody as an Assistant Police Chief as he built his management team. Chief Rosado asked if I would be willing to meet with Jason Thody and discuss our differences and get things out in the open. We did, we met and after roughly three hours of talking and discussing our differences, I left with a very different  opinion of Jason Thody. Times change, people change.

I could understand what Thody  brought to the table and completely understood why Chief Rosado wanted Thody as part of his team. I also had a much better understanding as to what led up to some of the incidents I had been critical of Thody for in the past.

I don't intend to post everything we talked about, but as an example, the bar fight. Thody was very open to anything I asked about that incident and he fully took the blame for the incident. Thody explained he had been dealing with a death and essentially was going out with a couple buddies drinking to blow off steam. He readily admitted that it wasn't one of his best decisions to go to a bar in the same City he was a Police Officer to drink , and under the circumstances it didn't end well for Thody.

He became involved in an altercation which eventually involved HPD officer's responding, which led to an Internal Affairs Investigation and Thody's eventual demotion back to Sergeant from Lieutenant. But rather than play the blame game, Thody accepted his demotion and committed to rebuilding his reputation and once again move upward.. Thody eventually regained the title of Lieutenant and rose to the rank of Captain before retiring earlier this year.. A Lieutenant who has since also retired said that after the demotion, Thody was assigned under him and he stated that Thody was one of the best and hardest working Sergeant's he had the opportunity to work with..

Now fast forward to the recent incident,

Thody had apparently signed off on training forms  for Hartford Police Officers that attended classes at Hartford's Training  Academy. According to several sources familiar with the process, for years the Academy had processed these forms by "photo-copying" the instructors signature on the form and then duplicating for all attendees. Probably not the best process, more of a sloppy shortcut, but as far as I can tell there was no intent to defraud the system or claim training that was never taught and that allegation or any criminal conduct has not been made..

As soon as I received the original call from the "source", I began looking into the matter. I attempted to contact Hartford's Police Chief David Rosado. Chief Rosado was in Florida at a Police Chief's Conference and promised that he would look into the claim as soon as he returned. Chief Thody was also at the same conference and was scheduled to return a few days later..

Once Chief Rosado returned, he did advise me that the matter was being looked into and the process of "photocopying"  signatures on training forms would cease immediately.

Chief Thody also responded to my inquiries after he returned from the Florida trip and answered my questions regarding the matter. Apparently the issue arose during a HPD Union deposition regarding a Hartford Officer that was terminated after a recent DUI arrest, off duty in the Town of Plainville, in which the officer was on video using the "N" word several times during his arrest.

Although the DUI arrest and "N" word incident were recent, the issue of Thody and the photocopied incident dated back over 3 years. That was one of the things that raised the "red flags" for me and made me wonder why it was being brought up now as a single incident when the process had probably involved hundreds of HPD Officer's  and maybe thousands of training forms.

The more people I asked about the matter, the more I was told by numerous sources that the agenda behind the complaint was to discredit Thody and an attempt to open up an Assistant Chief slot for someone that others were lobbying for.

It is also unclear why this matter is arising at this point in time. Is it supposed to be a "gotcha " moment for the HPD Union and its attorneys to expose an alleged corrupt practice in a deposition in an attempt to jackpot an Assistant Chief or the bigger question, if the practice was so corrupt, why did it take three years for the HPD Union to bring it to  light? And wasn't Thody actually a Union member at the time (while still serving the rank of Captain) when the practice was in place, and weren't there numerous other HPD Union members assigned as instructors at the Academy photocopying their signatures on training forms? Shouldn't they be drawn into the complaint and the IAD investigation if all all things being equal?

Apparently the Connecticut Police Officers Standards and Training Council claimed that Hartford's practice was unacceptable and claimed to NBC Connecticut that the photocopying was not permissible.
QUOTE FROM THE NBC CONNECTICUT REPORT

Yet, despite the comment from POST's Executive Director mentioned in the NBC Connecticut report,, POST instructor's appear to deviate from that same policy by typing the instructors name on POST required training forms as documented and reviewed by "We the People"

PORTION OF A COMPLETED POST FORM OBTAINED BY "WE THE PEOPLE"

At the current time, all parties involved in the investigation are under an HPD "Gag" order until the investigation. Once the investigation is complete the IAD Report will be posted here in its entirety. Chief Rosado, Chief Thody and Chief Medina, the author of the report have also agreed to discuss the investigation once it is complete.





Monday, December 24, 2018

NEWS YOU WON'T SEE ON THE NEWS

EMPOWERING THE YOUTH OF HARTFORD- HPD PAL PROGRAM

If only we could pair the good things happening in Hartford with the violence that seems to always attract the media.

I guess that probably sounds pretty sarcastic, but there are a lot of positive things going on that get no coverage, but the media trucks swarm when someone is shot or killed.

HPD OFFICERS INCLUDING ASSISTANT CHIEF RAFAEL MEDINA AND TRACTOR OPERATOR SERGEANT JOHN CAVANNA
One of the areas where positive things are happening regularly is at the Hartford Police  PAL (Police Activities League) program serving Hartford's youth with Police Department and Corporate mentorship.

Last Thursday PAL held its Annual Holiday Party for the kids. It was a great event with probably well over one hundred youth attending.

The night included a tractor pulled hayride through downtown Hartford with Christmas Carols being sung by everyone and waves and greetings from the riders and people on the sidewalk alike, and drivers waving and beeping at the kids as they enjoyed a safe and respectful night hosted by HPD.
SANTA WITH THE PAL KIDS BEFORE THE HAYRIDE

Santa Claus was present and handed out gifts to all of the young people in attendance and a buffet dinner was also served in  the second floor gymnasium

RETIRED HPD DETECTIVE PETER GETZ SURVEYING THE PAL HAYRIDE BEFORE IT LEAVES THE POLICE ACADEMY LOT