New Haven Independent

Cops Target Cedar Hill

by Allan Appel | February 27, 2007 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Sgt. Rebecca Sweeney introduced herself to neighbors in East Rock — along with a plan to set up a new substation in crime-plagued Cedar Hill.

Sweeney has been working the East Rock area for seven of her 12 years in the New Haven police department. Still, many at the East Rock Management Team meeting Monday night didn’t know her because until now she has been on the night shift. She was always working when the team was meeting. She introduced herself at Monday’s gathering, and, amid a wide-ranging discussion of police man “” and woman “” power shortages, she debuted with an ambitious goal: To set up the badly needed new substation on State Street, not far from the drug-troubled area around the Hess gasoline station in the self-contained northeastern stretch of East Rock known as Cedar Hill.

The location in question is 1384 State St., a storefront formerly occupied by the Gallo Appliance Store. “Right now, “said Sweeny, “the space is a bit of a mess. We’re trying to clean it up and get computers up and running. With this policing district so large, ” she added, “running all the way from the Hamden line down to Trumbull, and, from east to west, from State to Sherman, it’s badly needed.” The other substation in the district is on Winchester Avenue.

To underscore the importance of the substation, Sergeant Sweeney noted that during February there had been a number of robberies in the area of the gas station, but on the positive side, a large drug bust right at the Hess. “Too often dealers and customers just say to each other, let’s meet at the Hess. Well, we’re trying to make that not happen.”

Sgt. Sweeney is being helped in her duties by Officer Thomas Benedetto, a 19-year-veteran of the force. In a wide-ranging discussion with members of the management team, the smaller than expected class of new police recruits was bemoaned. Benedetto said that in his view community policing is best done when two officers work together and patrol in a car. “With one officer, you’re being entirely re-active, just barely keeping up responding to calls. With two, you can be proactive.”

The district would be receiving, at best, one additional officer to patrol, said Sweeney. “That’s better than other districts that are not receiving additional officers for the foreseeable future.” Every year approximately 15 officers leave the force, largely through retirement and must be replaced just to keep even.

East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar underscored that until ways can be found to better market the career of becoming a New Haven police officer, ways will have to be found to free up officers currently doing desk-job tasks that civilians could perform. “It would be great,” said Lemar, “if we could offer new recruits $40,000 signing bonuses as is done in L.A., but that’s not going to happen in New Haven.”

Until the manpower shortage is solved, Officer Benedetto said, efficiencies are going to have to be found through better systems and, for example, better use of the computers.

“The department is going to have to change itself internally,” suggested Sweeney, “in order to attract and keep officers. For example, a number of years ago there was a campaign to have the force more reflect the community and, specifically, to recruit women and single moms. Now many of those officers are on the night shift, and, believe me, that’s not going to promote a sense of making it a long term career. At least I had my wonderful husband to take care of my daughter.”

Now she’s on the day shift, and that substation is on the way.

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Comments

Posted by: Cedar Hill Resident | February 27, 2007 4:18 PM

Sgt. Sweeney you are FANTASTIC!!! What more can I say!

Posted by: Esbe | February 27, 2007 4:27 PM

I bet that our very own "Cedar Hill Resident", together with his neighbors, had a lot to do with this new police focus on Cedar Hill.

Bravo!

Posted by: cedar hill resident | February 27, 2007 6:17 PM

Esbe Your "Cedar hill Resident" is a she :)

There are a few very dedicated people that LOVE our area! The problem we were having is they said no one was calling it in so they would not help us. We gave them maps of every dealing house. Pages of licence plates. As block watch members people would call or come to us with the info to give to the police because they were to afaird to call. But the police said they wanted calls? We gave them tons of info. They know that the Hess station is a night mare for us and one other business in our area is to.

Our substations was fine up untill it was sold to a new owner (I have dubbed the owner a slumlord well at least the people mananging it) that would not fix the sewer leaking into it. So we have had meetings at peoples houses East Rock Magnet and the a church on state has let us use it temp. until we can get it fixed or another place. Our last meeting Sgt.Sweeney and Sgt Ratti were at and I am pleasantly surprised she heard what we were saying!
Our Block Watch Capt. Ted attends those meeting to reprecent our part of East Rock (Cedar Hill).
And was suppose to be working on fixing the substation problem. So the BRAVO goes to a small but mighty few dedicated community members that never give up! Time and Persistence!! And for the past year our goal was to make sure that everyone in New Haven knew that Cedar Hill was over here and I think we have done that! It is hard to ignore an area as loud as our little corner is :)

Posted by: Esbe | February 27, 2007 10:34 PM

Cedar Hill -- oops, sorry! And one more: BRAVA!

Posted by: Ned | February 28, 2007 10:12 AM

Great for Cedar Hill, not so great for whichever neighborhood the crime is going to get shifted to. The Shell station on Willow St.? Somewhere farther up State St.? The "drug war" enforcement model is just a shell game. You don't see cops having to risk their lives to stop people from drinking alcohol, at least not since the end of prohibition (duh!). Maybe it's time to just legalize pot? New Haven could sanction some "coffee houses", along the lines of the Dutch model, where people could get their pot, some tea and munchies in a clean, well lighted place, as opposed to a skanky gas station, on the edge of a residential neighborhood. Legal pot would be great for coffee shops and restaurants downtown. Meth, Heroine, and cocaine probably need to be treated differently, but ultimately people are responsible for themselves - not the police/nanny state. The perpetrators of thefts, muggings, robberies and assaults need to be swiftly removed from civil society, which the police could be freed up to do, if they weren't commanded to baby sit and arrest people getting high.

Posted by: Cedar Hill Resident | February 28, 2007 12:37 PM

Ned we no they will go somewhere else but not willow they have cameras. Which is something we are working on with the Hess.
I have to be honest as long as they are not in New Haven I am fine (sad to say). NEW HAVEN WANTS THEM OUT !

Legalizing is not a solution. Ever been to Amsterdam? Sex shop, prostitutes, kids laying in the streets stoned not my idea of a solution. I am pro medical marijuana and some states have pasted laws for that only to be shot down because they go against federal laws. The only solution I see is to stop it before it starts to break the cycle some peoples families and communities are in. To make it not at all expectable. I have seen way to much in my days. If we can push the dealers out of new haven the crime in general follows. I think the key is to keep the pressure on the dealers and let them know, to quote a song "We not going to take it anymore!"

As a city that is sick and tired of it we, all the area block watches and community groups need to work together and stand our ground as a city not just a community and stop the New Yorkers and New Jersey people from using our city the way they have been. Yes the police can not do it on there own. The people in New Haven Have to be feed up enough to been willing to commit the time and energy to make it happen.

WHOSE WITH ME ON THIS........(sorry sounding like a football coach now) :)

Posted by: Cedar Hill Resident | March 1, 2007 8:40 AM

the good news is I talked to Hess Yesterday and the Corprate office put in the proposal for the camaras and it was approved so they said we should have camaras in there soon.

Posted by: Shawn T. Burns | March 1, 2007 7:26 PM

Residents of Cedar Hill I can assure you that Sgt. R. Sweeney-Burns has the skill, compassion and work ethic to address and correct the issues affecting your area. As her former partner and now husband, I know she will be an asset to your community and she is truly looking forward to a productive working partnership.

Posted by: Cedar Hill Resident | March 2, 2007 9:58 AM

Shawn I think we figured that out right when we met her! She gave us all a good feeling. She is one of those officers that does care about the city!! And I am starting to get the feeling that someone up there likes us to have sent her our way!

Posted by: A Cedar Hill Neighbor | March 27, 2007 11:28 AM

Cedar Hill to me is a place that children play, working people live, and a local business strives together. We must keep the focus on Cedar Hill. Regardless of "Where the problems go" thats not our issue right now. We need to work together with the support of our neighborhood police and rid the area of our specific problems.
We need to address the specific locations that have been identified as suspicious for dealing drugs or operating unlawful business. Disrespectful tenants and landlords who do not take proper care of their properties, late night front porch or street corner hang outs, & the graffiti that makes the area look like crap.

Once we can look back at a job well done then we can shift focus onto our neighbors like East Rock and Fair Haven. Until then we must remain dedicated to the streets which we live.

Special thanks goes out to Sgt. R. Sweeney-Burns
we love you for everything you are doing for Cedar Hill.

Cops Target Cedar Hill

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