Hi All:
I just got a call from Lt. Leo Bombalicki about fake $10s & $20s being used on Whalley Ave. The criminals are also asking people for change of a $20 taking you real money and passing the fake on to you. If this happens to you please call the Police.
Read more here on the New Haven Independent
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Community Meeting Regarding Crime in the Area
Community Meeting Regarding Crime in the Area
What: Community Meeting to discuss the recent criminal activity in the area
When: Thursday June 18th
Time: 7:00pm
Place: Hillhouse High School Library (subject to change)
Who: District Manager Leo Bombalicki, Assistant Chief Gillespie, Alderman Moti Sandman
What: Community Meeting to discuss the recent criminal activity in the area
When: Thursday June 18th
Time: 7:00pm
Place: Hillhouse High School Library (subject to change)
Who: District Manager Leo Bombalicki, Assistant Chief Gillespie, Alderman Moti Sandman
Friday, March 27, 2009
Suspicious Car in Westville
Hi All,
There has been a suspicious van in the Westville neighborhood following kids around. The van is an older white Dodge Caravan with wood paneling on the side. The license plate number is 785 TWY.
Please be vigilant and make sure kids are aware of their surroundings and not walking alone. Knowing "safe" houses along their routes is also a good idea in case they need help.
If you see this van, or any suspicious activity, call it in to the non-emergency number immediately, 946-6316. If it is an emergency call911.
You should also let Lieutenant Bernie Somers know by leaving a message on his cell phone at 687-0532 and/or on his email at Somers@newhavenct.net. Bernie should be contacted *but only after the incident is reported to the emergency or non emergency number.
If it is not reported downtown it is not logged and there is no way to dispatch an officer.
Also,Lieutenant Bernie Somers will be out of town next week and will not be available so messages left with him will not be looked at until he returns.
There has been a suspicious van in the Westville neighborhood following kids around. The van is an older white Dodge Caravan with wood paneling on the side. The license plate number is 785 TWY.
Please be vigilant and make sure kids are aware of their surroundings and not walking alone. Knowing "safe" houses along their routes is also a good idea in case they need help.
If you see this van, or any suspicious activity, call it in to the non-emergency number immediately, 946-6316. If it is an emergency call911.
You should also let Lieutenant Bernie Somers know by leaving a message on his cell phone at 687-0532 and/or on his email at Somers@newhavenct.net. Bernie should be contacted *but only after the incident is reported to the emergency or non emergency number.
If it is not reported downtown it is not logged and there is no way to dispatch an officer.
Also,Lieutenant Bernie Somers will be out of town next week and will not be available so messages left with him will not be looked at until he returns.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Still Alive!
Hi,
I would like to thank all of you that have sent me emails and voice mails about the senseless attack upon myself, Carl, Rob & Crissie this past Monday night.
I am physically OK and I hope that no one here has to go through what we did because there was no reason for it and it was totally unprovoked on our part.
You can read the details in the NHRegister or the New Haven Independent.
Yours,
Moti
I would like to thank all of you that have sent me emails and voice mails about the senseless attack upon myself, Carl, Rob & Crissie this past Monday night.
I am physically OK and I hope that no one here has to go through what we did because there was no reason for it and it was totally unprovoked on our part.
You can read the details in the NHRegister or the New Haven Independent.
Yours,
Moti
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
An arrest in the Bellevue Road Shooting
Police have secured an arrest warrant in connection with the murder of Lavias Phillips which occurred on January 17th 2008 at 10:40 p.m. on Bellevue Road.
Captain Peter Reichard stated after positive DNA results on evidence left at the scene, Detective Michael Wuchek and other investigators from the Investigative Services Division worked hard to bring this case to a close. This case was the city’s first homicide of 2008.
Antwan Byrd 12/23/75, of 10 Garden St, Hartford, Ct will be arraigned on Thursday with Murder, Criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and Carrying a pistol without a permit. The warrant carries a million dollar bond. Antwan Byrd is currently being held on unrelated robbery charges in connection with a bank robbery in Stafford, Connecticut.
Captain Peter Reichard stated after positive DNA results on evidence left at the scene, Detective Michael Wuchek and other investigators from the Investigative Services Division worked hard to bring this case to a close. This case was the city’s first homicide of 2008.
Antwan Byrd 12/23/75, of 10 Garden St, Hartford, Ct will be arraigned on Thursday with Murder, Criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and Carrying a pistol without a permit. The warrant carries a million dollar bond. Antwan Byrd is currently being held on unrelated robbery charges in connection with a bank robbery in Stafford, Connecticut.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Firing Range Notice
Hello all: Sorry for the short notice, but there will be rifle practice on the range tomorrow (Tuesday, March 18), from approximately 9am - 3pm.
Cynthia Savenelli
New Haven Police
AcademyDivision of Training & Education
710 Sherman Parkway
New Haven, CT 06511
Tel: 203-946-6309
Fax: 203-946-6141
Email: csavenel@newhavenct.net
Cynthia Savenelli
New Haven Police
AcademyDivision of Training & Education
710 Sherman Parkway
New Haven, CT 06511
Tel: 203-946-6309
Fax: 203-946-6141
Email: csavenel@newhavenct.net
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Become a Lobbiest for New Haven & Yourself
Last night Mayor John DeStefano gave his annual State of the City Address. In it - he spoke about a number of important issues and outlined his priorities for the next few years. The top items that I took out of it were:
- Public Safety
- Property Taxes
- Economic Development
- Unified City
These are all important issues and over the next few days I will be posting about them.
Regarding the public safety issue - JD focused on the new cops that are coming online and the changes for the up tier of police management.
From the Chief to the new assistant chief and the 2 civilians that are due to come on as well. This means that 3 out of the 4 top police officials will be new within the year. I hope this is good and works out for the best.
A bright point was when the Street Outreach workers stood up and told us what they are up to. They do good work. I hope we can find the funding to keep them going (currently they are funded from grants and nothing from the PD general budget).
The fact is that we need to create a city where the average citizen is not afraid to walk down the street or be afraid that your home will be broken into. I know that we are not at the low point we were at in the early 1990s but we must always try to become better.
The Mayor also spoke about the reentry of criminals into our back yard (literally) from all around the State to the Whalley Ave Jail. JD says that we need to push our delegation and Jodi Rell to get some action.
To that point I can tell you that the WEB Management Team is working on this issue and I am personally involved with State Rep Toni Walker and working with her on the issue as well.
That is all for now I will post more later.
You can read the New Haven Independent
coverage here and the New Haven Register's coverage here.Yours,
Moti
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Bellevue Road Update
Hi All:
I just want to give a bit of an update as to what is going on with the issues brought up at the meeting last week.
Murder investigation - still ongoing but no closure yet.
192 Goffe - Carl Goldfield - in who's ward the house resides - spoke with the landlord and is working with them to fix the problem. Carl has reported positive interaction and asked to be informed of any charges good or otherwise at that address.
Illegal parking on Bellevue Rd. - Lt. Costin was out in the past week and had patrol ticket a number of cars pared illegally. There were no tows as the owners came out and moved the cars. Lt. Costin believes that the message was sent but would like to know if this becomes an issue again.
I will continue to update you as I get more information.
Yours truly,
Moti
I just want to give a bit of an update as to what is going on with the issues brought up at the meeting last week.
Murder investigation - still ongoing but no closure yet.
192 Goffe - Carl Goldfield - in who's ward the house resides - spoke with the landlord and is working with them to fix the problem. Carl has reported positive interaction and asked to be informed of any charges good or otherwise at that address.
Illegal parking on Bellevue Rd. - Lt. Costin was out in the past week and had patrol ticket a number of cars pared illegally. There were no tows as the owners came out and moved the cars. Lt. Costin believes that the message was sent but would like to know if this becomes an issue again.
I will continue to update you as I get more information.
Yours truly,
Moti
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Recent issues in the Ward
Dear All:
I would like to update the ward regarding reported gunfire on Moreland Road & Ellsworth Avenue and High School Students wandering through the neighborhood. I have been working with the Mayor’s Office, the Police Department and the Board of Education to try to come up with a proactive, viable solution.
The issues as I see them are as follows:
Teenagers stashing their bikes in the backyards of our neighbors on Norton Parkway.
This is a trespass and a violation of ones right to not have your home invaded.
The trespassers’ are now targeting the homes where they are hiding their bikes for further criminal activity.
The gunfire that happened over the past week on Moreland and Ellsworth.
With regard to issue 1; there was a meeting on Tuesday 10/30/07 attended by Asst. Chief Redding; Sergeant Steve Shea (our District Manager); Principal of Hillhouse, Dr. Lonnie Garris and a Resource Officer from Hillhouse (similar to a in house police officer). The result of the meeting is that the students will be able to park their bikes at the school now and the BOE will be providing two additional outdoor bike racks along with indoor space for bikes. No student will have the excuse that they don’t have a safe place to park their bike. An announcement was made over the Hillhouse PA system that there will be patrols in the streets, alleys and backyards surrounding the school and that any bikes found will be confiscated by the police.
I am working with the above group to get a contact name and number at the school for residents to call directly if there is a student going through the yards or roaming the streets during school hours. When I get that name and number I will inform the neighborhood.
With regard to issue number 2; in my conversations with the police it became apparent that this is a much more difficult problem to solve. Shell casings were removed from the scene and we don’t know if they match any gun on record. I know that this is not the answer we want and I feel that a proactive approach will help us. I would like to outline a few ideas that can assist in this regard:
I have asked for more patrols in the area and a greater police presences in general.
It is of the utmost importance to make sure that each time there is a crime; you file a report and ask for the case number so you know that it has been filed.
Each time you hear gunfire immediately inform the police, regardless if you think it is from the range or not.
Please note that our police are a data driven force and they will respond only when we can show them that we are in need of greater police service.
As always I may be contacted via
Email – ward28@snet.net
Voicemail – 203-772-1805
Snail Mail – 195 Colony Road, New Haven, CT 06511
Yours truly,
I would like to update the ward regarding reported gunfire on Moreland Road & Ellsworth Avenue and High School Students wandering through the neighborhood. I have been working with the Mayor’s Office, the Police Department and the Board of Education to try to come up with a proactive, viable solution.
The issues as I see them are as follows:
Teenagers stashing their bikes in the backyards of our neighbors on Norton Parkway.
This is a trespass and a violation of ones right to not have your home invaded.
The trespassers’ are now targeting the homes where they are hiding their bikes for further criminal activity.
The gunfire that happened over the past week on Moreland and Ellsworth.
With regard to issue 1; there was a meeting on Tuesday 10/30/07 attended by Asst. Chief Redding; Sergeant Steve Shea (our District Manager); Principal of Hillhouse, Dr. Lonnie Garris and a Resource Officer from Hillhouse (similar to a in house police officer). The result of the meeting is that the students will be able to park their bikes at the school now and the BOE will be providing two additional outdoor bike racks along with indoor space for bikes. No student will have the excuse that they don’t have a safe place to park their bike. An announcement was made over the Hillhouse PA system that there will be patrols in the streets, alleys and backyards surrounding the school and that any bikes found will be confiscated by the police.
I am working with the above group to get a contact name and number at the school for residents to call directly if there is a student going through the yards or roaming the streets during school hours. When I get that name and number I will inform the neighborhood.
With regard to issue number 2; in my conversations with the police it became apparent that this is a much more difficult problem to solve. Shell casings were removed from the scene and we don’t know if they match any gun on record. I know that this is not the answer we want and I feel that a proactive approach will help us. I would like to outline a few ideas that can assist in this regard:
I have asked for more patrols in the area and a greater police presences in general.
It is of the utmost importance to make sure that each time there is a crime; you file a report and ask for the case number so you know that it has been filed.
Each time you hear gunfire immediately inform the police, regardless if you think it is from the range or not.
Please note that our police are a data driven force and they will respond only when we can show them that we are in need of greater police service.
As always I may be contacted via
Email – ward28@snet.net
Voicemail – 203-772-1805
Snail Mail – 195 Colony Road, New Haven, CT 06511
Yours truly,
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Elm City ID Cards
Well Folks:
The City of New Haven has been in the national news recently with regard to our new Elm City ID Card (please note that the card is a multi purpose resident card for ALL of the city's residents).
I posted about this earlier in one of my posts. Since then I have been getting some correspondence looking for clarification of the program. In reading & listening to the general media coverage I see where these questions are coming from.
The short of it is that we are providing a service to the general population as well as a chance for undocumented people to live a safer life here in the city. All of this is at no direct cost to the city.
We are doing this because the Federal Government is not able to come up with an effective and solid immigration policy. We are just dealing with the reality of this inaction.
Following please find an outline of what some of the more common questions are.
Question #1
Why are we issuing "citizenship papers" to undocumented people?
Answer
We are not issuing any citizen papers to any one. Only the Federal Government can do that. The only thing that we are doing for undocumented people is to give them a recognized id that will help them get a bank account.
Question #2
Why are we wasting city money to help these people?
Answer
The funding from this project is coming 100% from a grant from the 1st Community Bank Foundation (this is the community bank created when New Haven Savings Bank went public).
As a city we feel that putting this program in to effect is important because we have a reality that needs to be dealt with. We have a population of approximately 125,000 people. Of that anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 are undocumented. These people for the most part do not have bank accounts – they therefore carry large amounts of cash. This then makes them targets of criminals who know this and prey on them. In the past year we had 2 murders directly relegated to undocumented people being targeted for their cash. It is not good for any one documented or otherwise to have anyone targeted and attacked in the city.
In addition we hope to create a list of where these people are for in case of an epidemic or an emergency we will now have a way to reach out and control a large part of our population that we did not have in the past.
Our police back this because they never had a true idea of where a large part of the city really lived now we will have a firm idea where they live etc.
Question #3
What is the revenue to the City from:
New City debit card?
New immigrant ID card?
Answer
The cards are one in the same.
Everyone pays the $10 fee for adults and $5 for children.The $10 fee gets broken down as follows:$5 - to the city for the card (costs are staffing, equipment, etc.)$5 - on the card for the person to use as a debit card in New Haven and for the Parcsmart meters.
For the kids there is no debit component. In addition no money is given to the 1st Community Bank - the money they gave was 100% grant.
Question #4
I am not an undocumented person – what do I gain from the card?
Answer
Every Resident of New Haven will be able to use this card to:
Use our Public Libraries
Your child can have an ID that has emergency contact information along with the rest of the features.
Park for Free at the Public Beaches (now you need to show your car registration that shows you car is registered in New Haven and you will still be able to do it).
Not have to carry change when using a parking meter – you can use the debit feature.
Use your card at over 50 locations downtown. If you are a merchant and want to accept the card as well contact Kica Matos at 946-7909.
In addition to the above you can read the fact sheet from the city here.
Yours,
Moti
The City of New Haven has been in the national news recently with regard to our new Elm City ID Card (please note that the card is a multi purpose resident card for ALL of the city's residents).
I posted about this earlier in one of my posts. Since then I have been getting some correspondence looking for clarification of the program. In reading & listening to the general media coverage I see where these questions are coming from.
The short of it is that we are providing a service to the general population as well as a chance for undocumented people to live a safer life here in the city. All of this is at no direct cost to the city.
We are doing this because the Federal Government is not able to come up with an effective and solid immigration policy. We are just dealing with the reality of this inaction.
Following please find an outline of what some of the more common questions are.
Question #1
Why are we issuing "citizenship papers" to undocumented people?
Answer
We are not issuing any citizen papers to any one. Only the Federal Government can do that. The only thing that we are doing for undocumented people is to give them a recognized id that will help them get a bank account.
Question #2
Why are we wasting city money to help these people?
Answer
The funding from this project is coming 100% from a grant from the 1st Community Bank Foundation (this is the community bank created when New Haven Savings Bank went public).
As a city we feel that putting this program in to effect is important because we have a reality that needs to be dealt with. We have a population of approximately 125,000 people. Of that anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 are undocumented. These people for the most part do not have bank accounts – they therefore carry large amounts of cash. This then makes them targets of criminals who know this and prey on them. In the past year we had 2 murders directly relegated to undocumented people being targeted for their cash. It is not good for any one documented or otherwise to have anyone targeted and attacked in the city.
In addition we hope to create a list of where these people are for in case of an epidemic or an emergency we will now have a way to reach out and control a large part of our population that we did not have in the past.
Our police back this because they never had a true idea of where a large part of the city really lived now we will have a firm idea where they live etc.
Question #3
What is the revenue to the City from:
New City debit card?
New immigrant ID card?
Answer
The cards are one in the same.
Everyone pays the $10 fee for adults and $5 for children.The $10 fee gets broken down as follows:$5 - to the city for the card (costs are staffing, equipment, etc.)$5 - on the card for the person to use as a debit card in New Haven and for the Parcsmart meters.
For the kids there is no debit component. In addition no money is given to the 1st Community Bank - the money they gave was 100% grant.
Question #4
I am not an undocumented person – what do I gain from the card?
Answer
Every Resident of New Haven will be able to use this card to:
Use our Public Libraries
Your child can have an ID that has emergency contact information along with the rest of the features.
Park for Free at the Public Beaches (now you need to show your car registration that shows you car is registered in New Haven and you will still be able to do it).
Not have to carry change when using a parking meter – you can use the debit feature.
Use your card at over 50 locations downtown. If you are a merchant and want to accept the card as well contact Kica Matos at 946-7909.
In addition to the above you can read the fact sheet from the city here.
Yours,
Moti
Monday, July 23, 2007
Special WEB Meeting
Dear All:
There will be a special WEB meeting Tuesday 7/24/07 at the Sub Station on Whalley Ave. The topic will be Crime in the Neighborhood.
Due to the Tisha B'Av Fast I will not be able to attend.
Yours,
There will be a special WEB meeting Tuesday 7/24/07 at the Sub Station on Whalley Ave. The topic will be Crime in the Neighborhood.
Due to the Tisha B'Av Fast I will not be able to attend.
Yours,
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
State of Community Policing in New Haven Today...
Dear All:
With everything going in Police District 10 – the WEB area, I have been giving some though about the current state of Community Policing we find ourselves in now.
Our fair city is covers a wide area and a diverse social & economic range. Our ward is a good representation of this. The reality is that the lower part of the ward has different policing needs the upper part. But both parts need to have more of a police presence.
One thing I like about our ward and the WEB Management Team is the fact that overall this is a pretty intelligent group. We understand the problems and limitations that we face and the Police Department faces. Some of them are:
The fact is that the city is in the midst of a budget crisis and that we have a very generous benefit package that makes it difficult to afford to hirer more officers.
The force is down over 100 officers from the height under Nick Pastore
I have been hearing that the partnerships with the various State agencies – such as DCF – are weak and the rapport that we once had is not there
Federal grant dollars are substantially less and harder to obtain
The above leads us to the current crisis that we are now in.
Officers are getting burnt out. When an officer would rather not work the earn overtime we have a problem. Also the good and deserving officers can’t move up in the ranks or we risk even further depleting the force on the street.
With a smaller force there is no way that we can have the coverage that we once did – no ifs ands or buts.
Our partner State agencies are not as focused on us and now a large part of the NHPD’s calls are for domestic abuse cases. What used to be dealt with by DCF or other agency is now falling on the shoulders of our cops.
When we used to get many millions of dollars in direct and indirect grants from the Federal Government under COPS and other such programs what few thousand dollars we do get we are happy for
The question now is what can we expect from our Police Department and Chief of Police. I want to know what you think. Please post a comment to www.motisandman.blogspot.com or email me at ward28@snet.net.
Yours in service,
Moti Sandman
With everything going in Police District 10 – the WEB area, I have been giving some though about the current state of Community Policing we find ourselves in now.
Our fair city is covers a wide area and a diverse social & economic range. Our ward is a good representation of this. The reality is that the lower part of the ward has different policing needs the upper part. But both parts need to have more of a police presence.
One thing I like about our ward and the WEB Management Team is the fact that overall this is a pretty intelligent group. We understand the problems and limitations that we face and the Police Department faces. Some of them are:
The fact is that the city is in the midst of a budget crisis and that we have a very generous benefit package that makes it difficult to afford to hirer more officers.
The force is down over 100 officers from the height under Nick Pastore
I have been hearing that the partnerships with the various State agencies – such as DCF – are weak and the rapport that we once had is not there
Federal grant dollars are substantially less and harder to obtain
The above leads us to the current crisis that we are now in.
Officers are getting burnt out. When an officer would rather not work the earn overtime we have a problem. Also the good and deserving officers can’t move up in the ranks or we risk even further depleting the force on the street.
With a smaller force there is no way that we can have the coverage that we once did – no ifs ands or buts.
Our partner State agencies are not as focused on us and now a large part of the NHPD’s calls are for domestic abuse cases. What used to be dealt with by DCF or other agency is now falling on the shoulders of our cops.
When we used to get many millions of dollars in direct and indirect grants from the Federal Government under COPS and other such programs what few thousand dollars we do get we are happy for
The question now is what can we expect from our Police Department and Chief of Police. I want to know what you think. Please post a comment to www.motisandman.blogspot.com or email me at ward28@snet.net.
Yours in service,
Moti Sandman
Monday, July 9, 2007
SPECIAL WEB Meeting!
Hi All:
There will be a special WEB Meeting Tuesday July 10th at the Whalley Avenue sub station at 7pm. CAO Robert Smuts & Chief Ortiz will be there to hear and discuss community concerns about community policing. I hope to see you there!
Yours,
There will be a special WEB Meeting Tuesday July 10th at the Whalley Avenue sub station at 7pm. CAO Robert Smuts & Chief Ortiz will be there to hear and discuss community concerns about community policing. I hope to see you there!
Yours,
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Special WEB Meeting tonight
Dear All:
There will be a special WEB Meeting tonight June 26th, 7pm at the Whalley Avenue Substation (corner of Norton) with regard to the Edgewood patrols.
See you there!
There will be a special WEB Meeting tonight June 26th, 7pm at the Whalley Avenue Substation (corner of Norton) with regard to the Edgewood patrols.
See you there!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Municipal IDs
Hi All:
I just got an email from a constituent about the municipal id program. I want to share my thought and ideas on the program. Please leave a comment or send me an email to ward28@snet.net with you questions and/or comments.
With regard to the ID cards I see two issues that you bring up, firstly is the cost of the program and the second is the why are we doing this. I hope that I can shed some light on the issue.
The entire Municipal ID Card program is being funded by a grant from the First Community Bank (this was spun off from New Haven Savings when it went public). The Finance Committee voted to approve the acceptance of the grant with the caveat to end the program if it was unable to be funded 100% from sources other then the general fund. I would like to point out that the BOA was not asked if we should implement the plan or not – only if we should accept the funds.
That being said the reality was that the Finance Committee deliberations became the public hearing for the card program. The committee met from 6pm until 10pm. While the overwhelming majority of those testifying were for the program we also had a few (4 or 5) against it out of 70 or 80 people testifying. Those against the ID program were against it mostly with regard to the financing of the program not about the program in itself.
We took testimony from Yale Law School Professor Michael Wishnie, who did much of the leg work on this project. I asked the question as to what would happen if the US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez decided to make an example of us and under the Patriot Act to sweep in to New Haven take the list and arrest everyone on it. I was told that this was highly unlikely. The committee also asked and received prior to the full BOA vote for a letter that in the event that the City was sued due to the cards that the Yale Law Clinic under Bob Solomon & Michael Wishnie would represent the city Pro Bono.
Check out the New Haven Independent story about this http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/05/municipal_id_ga.php my quote is about half way down the page.
Also it is important to note that this program is NOT giving anyone citizenship. The program will make it easier for the City to function because undocumented people will be held more responsible for their actions and our police will have an idea of who some one is rather then just a shot in the dark if they don't have as is the case today. The City is not trying to change immigration laws or stick it to anyone we just are trying to enhance the quality of life for all in the City.
I remain yours in service,
I just got an email from a constituent about the municipal id program. I want to share my thought and ideas on the program. Please leave a comment or send me an email to ward28@snet.net with you questions and/or comments.
With regard to the ID cards I see two issues that you bring up, firstly is the cost of the program and the second is the why are we doing this. I hope that I can shed some light on the issue.
The entire Municipal ID Card program is being funded by a grant from the First Community Bank (this was spun off from New Haven Savings when it went public). The Finance Committee voted to approve the acceptance of the grant with the caveat to end the program if it was unable to be funded 100% from sources other then the general fund. I would like to point out that the BOA was not asked if we should implement the plan or not – only if we should accept the funds.
That being said the reality was that the Finance Committee deliberations became the public hearing for the card program. The committee met from 6pm until 10pm. While the overwhelming majority of those testifying were for the program we also had a few (4 or 5) against it out of 70 or 80 people testifying. Those against the ID program were against it mostly with regard to the financing of the program not about the program in itself.
We took testimony from Yale Law School Professor Michael Wishnie, who did much of the leg work on this project. I asked the question as to what would happen if the US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez decided to make an example of us and under the Patriot Act to sweep in to New Haven take the list and arrest everyone on it. I was told that this was highly unlikely. The committee also asked and received prior to the full BOA vote for a letter that in the event that the City was sued due to the cards that the Yale Law Clinic under Bob Solomon & Michael Wishnie would represent the city Pro Bono.
Check out the New Haven Independent story about this http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/05/municipal_id_ga.php my quote is about half way down the page.
Also it is important to note that this program is NOT giving anyone citizenship. The program will make it easier for the City to function because undocumented people will be held more responsible for their actions and our police will have an idea of who some one is rather then just a shot in the dark if they don't have as is the case today. The City is not trying to change immigration laws or stick it to anyone we just are trying to enhance the quality of life for all in the City.
I remain yours in service,
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Edgewood & Elm issue
Hi All:
As many of you are aware - the folks over in Edgewood & Elm are going to be implementing civilian patrols armed with guns. See the links below for the full stories.
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/06/edgewoods_packi.php
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=6642501
Let me know what you think. Post a comment or email me at ward28@snet.net.
Yours,
As many of you are aware - the folks over in Edgewood & Elm are going to be implementing civilian patrols armed with guns. See the links below for the full stories.
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/06/edgewoods_packi.php
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=6642501
Let me know what you think. Post a comment or email me at ward28@snet.net.
Yours,
Friday, April 6, 2007
The Budget Part II
The Budget Process Part II:
We had a couple of intense budget workshops (workshops are hearings open to the public but the BOA hears testimony from invited guests only) over the past few weeks. We now have heard from all of the departments in the City on each of their particular portion of the budget.
We also heard about the Elderly Tax Freeze which is going to be revisited this Monday April 9th at 5:30pm in the main chamber.
I have heard from many of you and for the most part I am being told to hold the taxes down however we can. I believe that I am asking the question’s that need asking (see quotes in the New Haven Register & the New Haven Independent, you can do a search for my last name in the past 30 days and read the articles there, and I will try to post a link here as well).
A few months ago I voted for and strongly supported a spending bill that would put additional cops on our streets as well as additional clerical staff at 1 Union Station. I questioned the Chief if we still needed the clerical staff or could we out source some of the work. He said that even with the new hires we are still down from our historical highs in the late 1990's. I do not accept an answer of “This is what we had and this is what we should have again” but here I feel that it is urgently needed.
I asked questions about our Fire Department’s budget – including if we expect to reduce overtime and if we can – in some way – reduce our staffing commitments to the Fire Union. I didn’t get the answers that I liked, but unfortunately there is not much we can do.
When we met with Public Works – I asked about capital improvements for Beaver Pond Park. I was told that with this new study we have “bite size pieces” that the City’s budget can handle in the next few years. I will keep on top of them to see that this happens.
This then leads me into our budget process and what - if anything we can do to reduce spending.
Most of our budget is personal and personal cost driven. 91% of the NHPD budget is personal and direct personal costs (health care, pension, etc.) Similar numbers are seen throughout the budget. In addition we serve as a pass through for millions of dollars of Federal & State funds. This doesn’t cost us but it is a line item in our budget and increases the bottom line.
We signed some very generous contracts with our unions’ in the past year and these will be in effect for the next few years so there is no real hope in reducing the expenses associated with them for this or next fiscal year.
Remember on the 18th is our budget 101 class and the 19th is time when you can be heard as taxpayers 6pm City Hall, see you there!
We had a couple of intense budget workshops (workshops are hearings open to the public but the BOA hears testimony from invited guests only) over the past few weeks. We now have heard from all of the departments in the City on each of their particular portion of the budget.
We also heard about the Elderly Tax Freeze which is going to be revisited this Monday April 9th at 5:30pm in the main chamber.
I have heard from many of you and for the most part I am being told to hold the taxes down however we can. I believe that I am asking the question’s that need asking (see quotes in the New Haven Register & the New Haven Independent, you can do a search for my last name in the past 30 days and read the articles there, and I will try to post a link here as well).
A few months ago I voted for and strongly supported a spending bill that would put additional cops on our streets as well as additional clerical staff at 1 Union Station. I questioned the Chief if we still needed the clerical staff or could we out source some of the work. He said that even with the new hires we are still down from our historical highs in the late 1990's. I do not accept an answer of “This is what we had and this is what we should have again” but here I feel that it is urgently needed.
I asked questions about our Fire Department’s budget – including if we expect to reduce overtime and if we can – in some way – reduce our staffing commitments to the Fire Union. I didn’t get the answers that I liked, but unfortunately there is not much we can do.
When we met with Public Works – I asked about capital improvements for Beaver Pond Park. I was told that with this new study we have “bite size pieces” that the City’s budget can handle in the next few years. I will keep on top of them to see that this happens.
This then leads me into our budget process and what - if anything we can do to reduce spending.
Most of our budget is personal and personal cost driven. 91% of the NHPD budget is personal and direct personal costs (health care, pension, etc.) Similar numbers are seen throughout the budget. In addition we serve as a pass through for millions of dollars of Federal & State funds. This doesn’t cost us but it is a line item in our budget and increases the bottom line.
We signed some very generous contracts with our unions’ in the past year and these will be in effect for the next few years so there is no real hope in reducing the expenses associated with them for this or next fiscal year.
Remember on the 18th is our budget 101 class and the 19th is time when you can be heard as taxpayers 6pm City Hall, see you there!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
WEB Management Team Meeting
Wow it was some meeting last night. We heard from a variety of speakers.
Connecticut Against Gun Violence http://www.cagv.org/ - They are a group that advocates targeted gun control laws. They have two issues that they are working on now. One is to pass a law in Hartford stating that a person must report their gun stolen or missing within 72 hours that it should be know missing. This is because we have kids who have no legal right to own a gun committing crimes with guns. This brings up the question where are the underage kids getting the guns from? Many times a gun is traced back to a person who when confronted by the police says “My gun was stolen”. This brings up the question if it was stolen a while ago why is it only being reported now? This law is going to close that loophole because we know that many people are buying a gun legally and then sell it on the street and then when confronted they claim that it was lost or stolen. This bill failed last year in the House by 7 votes. The language was changed so that if someone who is away will not be held liable for not reporting the gun stolen from the time of the theft but 72 hours from when the person is aware of it.
The CAGV rep then spoke about a program that is trying to “Raise a Red Flag” asking the question Where are the Guns Coming from? If we are able to trace illegal drugs back to Turkey or Columbia why can’t we trace a gun back to who was the last legal owner? They are working with Hartford and will be working with the New Haven PD as well to raise awareness of this issue.
We then heard from an East Rock State Rep Bob Menga http://www.cga.ct.gov/hdo/097/ about Planned Development Districts (PDD) and the trials and tribulations that they went through to get their voices heard in the process. Do a search on www.newhavenindepend.org to learn more about those and what they went through.
We in the WEB area are going to have Whalley Avenue set up with an overlay zone so we better keep an eye on what is going on and make sure that we are part of the process. From what I understand of PDDs that they give the City greater controller over the Zoning in the district but that in some cases it can loosen the regulation. What do you think of PDDs?
We then heard from a group about the trash haulers ordinance and asked for us to come out and support them tonight at the Legislative Committee hearing at 6pm in the Aldermanic Chamber, City Hall, 165 Church Street. I see the need for the regulation but we should have some leeway in allowing the haulers downtown in the early AM so we don’t clog downtown during the day. If we need real enforcement lets talk to the PD and Corporation Counsel and see what we can legally enforce and how to enforce it.
Our District Manager Sergeant Shea then gave his monthly breakdown of the robberies, burglaries, break-ins, shooting, reports of gun fire. They seem to be going down – but some of it could be weather related (crime drops in the colder weather), but some of it was part of the targeted enforcement that we are putting into place in the Whalley – Winthrop – Sherman area.
Then came the star of the night – Chief of Police Cisco Ortiz. Carl & I asked the Chief to come down to the meeting and speak to us about the recent FBI sting of a few New Haven Police Officers. He spoke about what happened and what is going to happen (for more details check out www.newhavenindepend.org. The Team asked some hard questions. Why the Comanders of the Narcotic Division weren’t not rotated as the officers were? What will happen to Drug Enforcement in New Haven now? I believe that the Chief answered the questions candidly and honestly – and when he was unable to answer he said that.
I am of the opinion that the overwhelming majority of the force are good hard working people who truly try to Serve & Protect us. I understand that there will most probably be more arrests and indictments, but I hope that we learn from the mistakes made here and that we can continue down our path of community policing and truly make New Haven a safer and more livable City in partnership with Sergeant Shea and the rest of the NHPD.
After that we got a report from Nan that FoBPP have a new partner in the Environmental Futurist of SCSU.
There were some new announcements –
The follow up meeting to the WEB Vision session will be held this Thursday at Hillhouse 7pm (I have a Finance Committee meeting so I wont be attending – but let me know what happens)
I am setting up a Budget 101 Workshop to explain the budget process and how the budget affects the taxes you pay. The tentative date & time is Monday March 26th 7pm at Hillhouse High cafeteria.
Connecticut Against Gun Violence http://www.cagv.org/ - They are a group that advocates targeted gun control laws. They have two issues that they are working on now. One is to pass a law in Hartford stating that a person must report their gun stolen or missing within 72 hours that it should be know missing. This is because we have kids who have no legal right to own a gun committing crimes with guns. This brings up the question where are the underage kids getting the guns from? Many times a gun is traced back to a person who when confronted by the police says “My gun was stolen”. This brings up the question if it was stolen a while ago why is it only being reported now? This law is going to close that loophole because we know that many people are buying a gun legally and then sell it on the street and then when confronted they claim that it was lost or stolen. This bill failed last year in the House by 7 votes. The language was changed so that if someone who is away will not be held liable for not reporting the gun stolen from the time of the theft but 72 hours from when the person is aware of it.
The CAGV rep then spoke about a program that is trying to “Raise a Red Flag” asking the question Where are the Guns Coming from? If we are able to trace illegal drugs back to Turkey or Columbia why can’t we trace a gun back to who was the last legal owner? They are working with Hartford and will be working with the New Haven PD as well to raise awareness of this issue.
We then heard from an East Rock State Rep Bob Menga http://www.cga.ct.gov/hdo/097/ about Planned Development Districts (PDD) and the trials and tribulations that they went through to get their voices heard in the process. Do a search on www.newhavenindepend.org to learn more about those and what they went through.
We in the WEB area are going to have Whalley Avenue set up with an overlay zone so we better keep an eye on what is going on and make sure that we are part of the process. From what I understand of PDDs that they give the City greater controller over the Zoning in the district but that in some cases it can loosen the regulation. What do you think of PDDs?
We then heard from a group about the trash haulers ordinance and asked for us to come out and support them tonight at the Legislative Committee hearing at 6pm in the Aldermanic Chamber, City Hall, 165 Church Street. I see the need for the regulation but we should have some leeway in allowing the haulers downtown in the early AM so we don’t clog downtown during the day. If we need real enforcement lets talk to the PD and Corporation Counsel and see what we can legally enforce and how to enforce it.
Our District Manager Sergeant Shea then gave his monthly breakdown of the robberies, burglaries, break-ins, shooting, reports of gun fire. They seem to be going down – but some of it could be weather related (crime drops in the colder weather), but some of it was part of the targeted enforcement that we are putting into place in the Whalley – Winthrop – Sherman area.
Then came the star of the night – Chief of Police Cisco Ortiz. Carl & I asked the Chief to come down to the meeting and speak to us about the recent FBI sting of a few New Haven Police Officers. He spoke about what happened and what is going to happen (for more details check out www.newhavenindepend.org. The Team asked some hard questions. Why the Comanders of the Narcotic Division weren’t not rotated as the officers were? What will happen to Drug Enforcement in New Haven now? I believe that the Chief answered the questions candidly and honestly – and when he was unable to answer he said that.
I am of the opinion that the overwhelming majority of the force are good hard working people who truly try to Serve & Protect us. I understand that there will most probably be more arrests and indictments, but I hope that we learn from the mistakes made here and that we can continue down our path of community policing and truly make New Haven a safer and more livable City in partnership with Sergeant Shea and the rest of the NHPD.
After that we got a report from Nan that FoBPP have a new partner in the Environmental Futurist of SCSU.
There were some new announcements –
The follow up meeting to the WEB Vision session will be held this Thursday at Hillhouse 7pm (I have a Finance Committee meeting so I wont be attending – but let me know what happens)
I am setting up a Budget 101 Workshop to explain the budget process and how the budget affects the taxes you pay. The tentative date & time is Monday March 26th 7pm at Hillhouse High cafeteria.
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