New Haven Independent

“A lot of people think it’s just smoke and mirrors,” said Cedar Hill block watch activist Ted Gardner (pictured), referring to the mayor’s $130,000 “dream team” probe led by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). The probe, overseen by a group of mayoral appointees called the Independent Accountability Panel, was launched to examine the police department after the recent arrests of two narcotics cops during an ongoing investigation of bribe-taking and theft of tens of thousands of dollars of suspects’ cash.

Leaders of the police audit team and panel members arrived at the cafeteria of the Career Magnet High School Tuesday evening for a “community forum.” The plan was to hear input from city residents on their perception of, and experiences with, the city police department.

Fewer than 20 members of the public showed up, leaving many empty seats across the cafeteria.

The meeting stood in sharp contrast to a forum hosted by mayoral critics in the black community in March, when 250 people packed the Elks Club for fiery, three-hour debate and cross-examination of the chief of police.

Gardner went to both.

“That one over there was a dinosaur — this one here was like a brand new puppy,” said Gardner after the 70-minute forum Tuesday in which fewer than ten people spoke.

Critics, most recently the aldermanic Black and Hispanic Caucus in this speech, say the mayor’s probe excludes frank dialogue because the Independent Accountability Panel contains no mayoral critics.

“I don’t see anyone from the NAACP here. Were they invited?” asked a woman at Tuesday’s forum. The forum was open to all, responded Jeffrey A. Meyer, a former federal prosecutor who’s co-chairing the panel.

The Feedback

A series of people stood up to voice concerns about the PD. One said cops planted drugs on him; another wondered if there’s enough protection for police officers who cry foul on misbehaving colleagues.

The most passionate testimony came from Anna Howard (pictured), who lives on a two-block street in Fair Haven. She said police didn’t respond to her complaints about police response to drug sellers dealing in the open air right outside her Houston Street home.

“I had called police so many times they told me stop calling,” she said. Response — cars pulling in for a stakeout — came too slow, she said, and there is no regular police presence. “I have not seen an officer walk down Houston Street,” she told the room. “They only come when there’s something going on.”

“I don’t trust police officers — I don’t know who to trust!” Debra Bethea, who runs the California Grocery on Congress Avenue, told the room. She sought help getting loiterers away from her property, but is hesitant to call the police because, according to Bethea, when bullets pierced a family member’s nearby home, police did not investigate as they were requested to.

John Jones (pictured), a block watch activist in West River, said he was happy with the police department in general. He suggested, however, that officers on the narcotics task force be rotated through, because “human nature” leads one to be tempted when exposed to piles of drug money.

The forum ended early because there was no one left who wanted to speak. Meyer, walking out the door, said there “was not as much turnout as we had hoped for.”

Meyer was “struck” by a couple comments made, however. “It was very chilling to hear that [Howard] and her children can’t get immediate police response,” said Meyer. “That goes to the heart of” PERF’s task, he said. PERF must investigate whether such delays are “due to not just to lack of resources, but to a lackadaisical response to drug crimes.”

Police Chief Cisco Ortiz, who had faced the energetic Elks Club crowd for a thorough cross-examination, listened quietly Tuesday. “It was an excellent opportunity for the public to comment on the police department,” he said. Was he satisfied with the attendance? “I’m not going to talk to that,” responded Ortiz.

Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts did speak to that question.

“We were hoping there would be more turnout,” Smuts acknowledged. The city announced the event in newspapers, on TV, and through neighborhood flyers, he said.

Why the low attendance?

Smuts gave one explanation: The matter was already discussed at the Elks Club and when top police brass toured management teams in the wake of the scandal. “People may feel, I said my piece at the Elks, so why should I come out to something like this?” He also said people may have been planning on attending Wednesday’s forum instead.

Is the lack of attendance a sign of how the public perceives the PERF probe?

“We have a group that’s well-respected. This is their opportunity to hear from the public,” responded Smuts. “If people think it’s smoke and mirrors and they don’t want to come out, then it is what it is.”

PERF will host another community forum tonight, Wednesday May 23, at 6 p.m. at the Wexler/Grant School.