New Haven Independent: Witness To The "Call In"

Witness To The “Call In”

by Staff | August 15, 2007 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

high%20point.jpg Twenty suspected dealers were brought in to face the evidence — plus a battery of top cops and prosecutors. Two New Haven officials, Police Chief Francisco Ortiz and Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts, were on hand to watch and see what lessons they can bring home from this innovative crime-fighting program in North Carolina. Ortiz and Smuts have been blogging their visit for the Independent; read on for their latest entry.

Wednesday 12:21 p.m.

After the High Point PD selects a neighborhood for their initiative, they put together a list of targets who have been engaging in drug activity and/or violence from Patrol and Narcotics investigation data.

They build cases - or eliminate names - on each target over three months of undercover buys and other surveillance. This process is very resource-intensive, with many detectives devoted to the investigations.

This fourth neighborhood in High Point will pretty much wrap up their main problem areas, and so the difference in scale when compared to New Haven will take some creativity to figure out. Our central city area that roughly corresponds to the four High Point neighborhoods is roughly six to eight times more populous.

After the investigations, the PD sweeps in and arrests a number of the targets - those with violent records or any mid and upper-level dealers they have cases on - and activates their community leader contacts to help them reach out to the remaining targets and their families. They are invited to the “Call In” and are informed that the PD has enough evidence to arrest them, but want to make an offer not to. The Call In we witnessed was on the large side - 27 invitees, of whom 20 showed up.

Of the rest, two were in jail on unrelated activities, one had stopped by earlier to explain that he’d just gotten a job and needed to go to work, and four will be receiving less friendly visits from the PD sometime today. The PD and County DA also met with the landlords to tell them to better monitor their properties, or else the county would act to seize them. This created a problem later, since some landlords threatened to evict the invitees.

The invitees sit in the middle of the Call In room, with families and community members behind them (and observers) and tables in a horseshoe in front of them. The meeting started without any police officers present, with community leaders telling them why they were here and what the community felt about what they have been doing and what their choices are going forward. The meeting started with smirks and defiant postures, but quickly turned more hushed when the older gentleman who said he “didn’t need the mike because his voice is plenty loud” told them in no uncertain terms what he thought about their attitudes and where those attitudes would lead them.

Then the Chief, the county DA, the US Attorney, the DEA, parole, etc filed in and gave their presentations. They talked about the cases they built on everyone and told them their choices were “prison, a coffin, or the community.”

There was an understood fourth choice, which was to disappear, and police from Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and two smaller neighbors were there to tell them not to “disappear” to their communities - it would be like us having West Haven, Hamden, Hartford and Bridgeport there telling our offenders not to just move their
activities to those cities.

They showed slides of people from the neighborhood they arrested, and the number of years they are facing in prison. That got everyone’s attention, because a week or two ago, they were engaged in drug dealing with those same faces that had “12 years” or “30 years” under them. A video followed with an interview with someone who had been called in but re-offended and is serving 15 years in federal prison, the family of a callee who was killed, and two who had turned their lives around. One of those talked about how hard it was - he had to go to 56 job interviews - but worth it.

Then law enforcement left again and the community leaders got back up to talk about helping them choose “the community.” Things got a little out of hand, though, with the issue of eviction, questions about why only the black sellers were here and not anyone from the white community, and other complaints. The big meeting broke up, and smaller one-on-one meetings seemed to make much more headway talking to the invitees about focusing on the choice in front of them.

Tonight we’ll finish up with some thoughts on what makes this initiative tick and our search for dinner that evening.

Click here and here to read previous entries in Ortiz’s and Smuts’ High Point Diary.

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Comments

Posted by: cedarhillresident | August 15, 2007 7:03 PM

"because a week or two ago, they were engaged in drug dealing with those same faces that had "12 years" or "30 years" under them."
This is going to be a problem for us... do we have dealers that do that much time in CT??? Without that theat it kind of loses its punch.... Don't get me wrong I would be the first in line to talk to these people I want them out of New Haven or it would be nice if they can get it together... Sounds like this part of the trip was the part you need to see the most, to get the jist of what they are doing.

Remeber guys we the community tell you daily were the dealers are...we just want you to get them out of the communitys. Listen to the people, and they will regain the faith in you.

So what is the next step guys???? (after dinner and your flight home??)

Posted by: Dean Moriarty | August 16, 2007 12:43 AM

Cedarhill, you're asking what the next step is, but I believe you've already stated it. And you're right. We ARE telling the officials where the problems are. Now, can they focus on our concerns? I know Fair Haven has seen big increases in violent crime in the last couple of months. But every article I read has the officials concentrating in other neighborhoods. Is it a financial problem? Our taxes have doubled and crime has gone up. I don't understand that. Even with the tax increase, I'd actually accept paying more, if we had a administration enforcing the laws instead of flaunting them (i.e. Federal immigration laws) and actually supporting the men and women in Blue, and letting them do their job, instead of trying to cosmetically further their/his future political life.

Here's a truth as I see it: John DeStefano has put this city in serious jeopardy. Until he is voted out of office we will continue to decline, our taxes will continue to increase and our crime rate will keep escalating. Take a look at NHI's "Crime Log" and do a search for your street for the previous month. You'll be amazed at what you didn't know was going on. Better yet, buy a scanner and listen to the police calls at night. You'll hear things that will shock/shake you, but that you will never see in the local print media, mostly for the fact that they weren't "fatals". This stuff is going on all the time, and this Admin is inept at handling it.

One last thought. You WILL see a change in New Haven when this regime is gone. WHEN are people going to stop buying into their nonsense?? If you have kids in NH schools, take the time to look at the minutes of the BOE meetings. Realize where your money is actually being spent. If you really look into it you'll find it's a travesty, and you may see why our BOE should be elected and not appointed.

I'm getting off point, but what it comes down to is that from enforcing law to educating our kids, this Administration is just selling us out. It's WAY past time for a change.

Posted by: Ned | August 16, 2007 8:36 AM

Prohibition was such a fabulous success the first time - NOT. Billions of dollars spent in Columbia for naught. Billions spent in this country to lock up pot smokers and fuel the prison/rehab industries. Why even bother going to another community in the United States to learn about crime reduction? Any Western European country has a lower rate of violent crime than the U.S.; what are they doing differently? Assuming of course that the federal government is actually interested in controlling crime rather than keeping the population scared and cowed. Really, if you can get someone to piss in a cup on demand, is there anything you can't get them to do? Sheep.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | August 16, 2007 9:57 AM

Dean
I agree! There is one area that seems to be getting all resourses right now! And I do look a the log ...but my problem is I don't see the calls that were made on it??

I am getting flustered lately because ... First we are told we will help... just let us know were the problems are..then well, we need picutures of the dealing...WHAT!! Is that not there job...you mean I can not get an officer unless I have pictures of dealing from the place... so what do they want us to do ...sit there in lawn chairs with a tripod and say "SAY CHEESE"!! I have had it!!

I am looking into other things to help my area now...hartford is getting my e-mails now, Not the city of New Haven. I am not asking my Alderman, the cheif, the mayor because they are NOT LISTENING!! I am tired of risking my life and chasing these people off my street by myself!! Last week I was threated very badly and call the police with the plate of the car!! They were *#*()#Q about it and guess what I AM TIRED!!! Gov. and her staff need to help me!! If I am threated by a crake addict and the police will not help me!! even when I gave them the plate and everything THEN THEY ARE NOT DOING THERE JOBS!!!

Posted by: True New Havener | August 16, 2007 10:52 AM

Cedar Hill --

I saw NHI reported on a series of arrests in Cedar Hill recently. Were those overblown? Were they not in response to resident complaints? Just interested.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | August 16, 2007 4:05 PM

True New Havener
Was at the Gathering of the Vibes all weekend..missed it...but I can tell you who these guys were and they are not the ones that are running the problems in my area... small timers. I have been quitely watching 3 bussnessis and building on Ridge and Rock and they are growing!! And I am worried that my area is going to lose what little ground we have gained. It started with one place which we have been complaining about..and the police did go in and striaghtnen them out but... that only made them spread not stop or leave. I told police. hopful this small little nothing bust will have given some info on the big problem that is really happening over here. Trust me it is spilling over into the nicer areas.

New Haven Independent

Witness To The “Call In”

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