New Haven Independent

Ortiz Delivers Message By Bike

by Melinda Tuhus | July 27, 2007 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

cisco%20and%20yolanda.JPG Police Chief Ortiz has taken to neighborhood streets on two wheels to promise New Haven more bike cops and to hear what’s on people’s minds. In Dixwell, he got an earful, including complaints about disrespectful policing.

The chief (pictured at Dixwell Plaza meeting Jolanda Acevedo) launched a two-day neighborhood bike tour Thursday to schmooze with the public and declare that his department has decided to put more cops on bikes — well, two more for now.

Ortiz said the department has been able to reduce to 20 from 40 the number of officers in the patrol division who had desk jobs. The two cops working in Edgewood are being trained over the next two weeks as bicycle officers — in response to demands from community groups there. They’ve demanded 10 walking and bike cops.

Ortiz emphasized that he wants the cops to stay in the districts where they already operate, working overtime and deepening relationships with members of the community. He said the mayor recognizes that public safety is priority number one, and has been generous with funding $100,000 a week for overtime. The department will train more bicycle cops when 27 new recruits join the force in September.

He added that his highest priority is to get more cops on walking beats. “That’s what I want; that’s what the community wants. The number two thing is bicycle patrols, because they give you visibility and mobility. It did help to interrupt the disruptive behavior kids on bicycles were doing about two summers ago.”

Ortiz is personable, and, as he says, “gregarious.” He asked adults and kids why they thought there have been so many shootings. “No jobs,” “nothing to do” were the most frequent answers.

Half a dozen teenage boys hanging in front of the shuttered Q House all said it should be reopened. The agency served as a home base for generations of young people before them — even for them when they were younger. They told Ortiz they want a swimming pool built on the empty patch of land in front of the Q House. They didn’t seem to know that four schools are keeping their swimming pools open all summer. Hillhouse is blocks away — but they said it is out of reach, too far out of familiar territory.

One of the boys (none of whom wanted to be photographed) said, “If we had jobs, if we had money, there’d be none of this shootin’ and stuff. We need jobs, instead of just sittin’ around. And if there ain’t no jobs, set up somethin’ fun — trips or somethin’.” Another said he had applied for a summer job through his school, but nothing ever came of it.

They told Ortiz that the cops in Dixwell don’t respect them, that they threaten to arrest them and sometimes drive their cruisers fast down the street. Click here to listen to the chief’s response.

The boys said they like Officer Shafiq Abdussabur, who came out of the Dixwell area and is now heading up the effort to reach out to the 200 most troubled youth who are committing most of the violence. These boys said they don’t fit in that category, and subsequently don’t see much of Abdussabur anymore.

theresa%20jones.JPG Theresa Jones (pictured), who lives in the Monterrey Homes, said she thinks the root of the problem is that many kids don’t get a good foundation at home, “and also, I don’t think they’re afraid of death. And some people are willing to go through death to get out of this life.”

Ortiz said the city has lots youth programs , but in talking to people in the neighborhoods, he realized that the word isn’t getting out about them. He suggested a promotional blitz may be necessary to get more kids involved.

“They need a program where they can express themselves,” said Kamairi Cooper.

kamairi%20coooper.JPG Cooper (pictured) said he was one of the people who brought City Kids to New Haven, which encouraged the creative potential of youth. It’s no longer operating here.

Eliezer Greer, organizer of an armed citizens patrol in Edgewood, dismissed Ortiz’s bike rounds as a “cute stunt.”

“We’ve had a lot of promises. We need to see [results] to believe it,” Greer said.

Charlie Pillsbury, executive director of Community Mediation, Inc., ran into this reporter as she was cycling off to meet the chief. “I support the chief 100 percent,” he said, “but he can only do so much with the resources he has. As long as we have the drug laws we have, we’ll never have enough cops — in cars, walking, on bikes or on horses. It’s a losing battle until we figure out a better way to deal with addiction as a public health issue, not a criminal issue.”

Share this story

Share |

Comments

Posted by: charlie | July 27, 2007 12:49 PM

It would be a winning battle if sentences were raised and paroles were curtailed. Look at Cheshire. Anyone caught and convicted for a major crime should spend at least 10 years in prison before being eligible for parole, and if that crime involved hurting another person or using a weapon, it should be at least 30 years in a rat-infested cell. If you did that you wouldn't have criminals anymore.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 27, 2007 2:36 PM

Ortiz

hello.....

over here....

yes here in Cedar Hill!!!!!!

Posted by: Esbe | July 27, 2007 3:28 PM

Shocking things:

-- That the New Haven police ever dropped the effective set of walking and bike beats that it used to have. Ortiz is very late to the game.

-- That the city let institutions like the Q house, City Kids (and many more) disappear as if it would have no effect later.

-- That kids can casually say that (of course) boredom naturally leads to murder. Just passing the time, you know.

-- That the poor neighborhoods here are so balkanized that four blocks away is another world.

We could go on ....

Posted by: KAM B | July 28, 2007 10:05 AM

Someone needs to give these "community residents" a good old fashion smack in the face! We want these community residents telling us how to fix the polcie department!? They're blaming 'no after school activites', and jobs, on the reason why kids are killing each other!? Give me a break. These folks cant even control their own lives and kids, but they have all the answers for cleaning up the police department. They want "who" to take their kid on a feild trip or set something up? TAKE YOUR OWN KID ON A FIELD TRIP OR ON VACATION. The problem is, these adults / parents, if you can call them that, dont even work or have jobs themselves. (I'm referring to most of the ones who leave their children unattended 24 /7) And shame on Ortiz for for this obvious 2 day PR political skit on a bike. Just run the PD the correct way and hold the brass accountable. Done deal.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 29, 2007 1:20 PM

KAM B

At times of anger at the city and the PD I feel the same way...but when going out into my area...we see a few kids in positions that you have stated, but the rest are kids who's parents work 2 jobs or 2nd shift..."good kids" from lower income blue collar families. They are the ultimate latch key kids..and they follow the kids of the above stated lifestyle.
Why .. is the question..maybe because these children have been on the own for so long and have become independent, and the latch key kids think of them as leaders. Maybe the bad guys that take advantage of these kids and use them as runners and lookouts are the ones the city needs to get rid of. Try it Ortiz!! Go after the drug dealers!! I watched the SC tape and what they are doing down there!! I hope you do use it in New Haven!!
After school programs is part of the solution but the one problem I see with it is kids that are 13 and up have to go right home from school to watch there younger siblings...there for they can not participate in these programs.... so now what

Posted by: kris | July 29, 2007 4:31 PM

KAM B.,I AM WITH YOU 100%! You said it all. Perfect

Posted by: Willie Williams Jr | July 30, 2007 7:22 AM

Youth In The Dixwell Avenue Area Want A Swimming Pool In Front of The Dixwell Q House. You Can Spend Ten Million Dollars $10,000,000.00 On The Dixwell Q House and Make It Look Like The Jewish Community Center In Woodbridge....That Ghetto Mentality and Financial MisManagement Will Continue. Educated Middle Class Blacks Want To Get Paid Big Time Money To Manage The Q House. The Dixwell Q House Is $500,000.00 In Debt,,,Pay That Off First 1st.

Posted by: Taxed To Death | July 30, 2007 12:44 PM

I don't whether to laugh or cry -- here you have Ortiz, riding through poor neighborhoods looking like Michael Dukakis in a tank; you have kids hanging out casually talking about murders and mayhem because "they don't have something to do" and who want a pool but won't use the taxpayer paid for pool minutes away. Add to that, Ortiz says he's able to move 20 out of 40 cops with desk jobs, back on to patrol -- (what the hell were they doing on desk jobs in the first place) -- but not before we train them on how to ride a bike and do bike patrols. What is there to learn? Maybe he was trying to be funny. He can't be serious can he?

Add this to the picture of Super Reggie Mayo holding his breath over those sorry test scores - and actually celebrating that he had microscopic improvement in the results. Holy smokes Batman! No wonder we're only graduating 65% in the high schools -- I suspect it's even worse than that. Hell of a picture isn't it?

Posted by: Cannon | July 30, 2007 4:12 PM

Im a 32 yr old male from New Haven and ive seen this type of voilence happening since the generation before me...Now theres more drugs and guns on the streets...How is busting one of these low level drug dealers going to prevent this type of voilence? It hasnt as long as ive been alive. Its obvious we're not using the right tactics to combat this issue...Im wondering if those working in the community who live outside of the community really want to stop whats going on in the Elm City.
Economic Inequality is behind the problems we are trying to deal with, so until we take care of that major issue we will only see a change in who is committing the voilence in this city.
Its always outrage when these young inner city kids kick into survival mode when its done by politicians its called Freedom Fighting ..."Stop Snitching" or "Code Of Silence" theres thugs everywhere u turn but these inner city low level thugs seem to be the worse of the worse...Go FIGURE.

Ortiz Delivers Message By Bike

Comments

Sorry, Comments are closed for this entry

Special Sections

Legal Notices

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

Flyerboard

Sponsors

N.H.I. Site Design & Development

NHI Store

News Feed