New Haven Independent

Posted by: B | November 19, 2007 5:22 PM

Rhodeen for Police Chief!
Who's with me?

Posted by: Fairhaven Dave | November 19, 2007 5:26 PM

Bravo, Alderman Rhodeen! Well said!

Posted by: cedarhillresident | November 19, 2007 6:39 PM

"B" I second that! Alex you took the words right out of our mouths!! Management being the key issue. Even with out the New officers the police dept. should be able to do more than what they are. First is get the in house officers on the street. Get more civilian position in house to do the clerical at a cheaper but livable wage. There is so much that can be done on a management level that can improve all of the above stated problems. Bravo!

Posted by: Walt | November 19, 2007 7:13 PM

Nothing against Rhodeen, but an experienced cop is needed.

Probably not from New Haven, as top cops should have known about crooks like White in their own Department, and probably, but not certainly, are not the best candidates as in other circumstances I might expect them to be..

Surprised that Yale trusts Ortiz, but maybe he and other top cops have adequate explanation for theie failure to control White.

Posted by: Gary Doyens | November 19, 2007 10:11 PM

Add my bravo to Alex Rhodeen. I hope you are right about the consenus on the NHBOA - The same can be said about our schools and public education. It's not about the money - our school system is well funded. It's about management and how you allocate resources.

Posted by: James | November 20, 2007 9:45 AM

Hey, here's an idea. Take the $25,000 raise the mayor wants, the $12,000 the Clerk wants and use it to enhance the salary of the Chief of Police. They Mayor's position is already well compensated. The clerk receives a full-time salary for a do-nothing job. But we have a serious crime problem here. How can the Mayor ask for a raise while his lapdog simultaneously acknowledges the pay grade being offered for the Chief of Police may be insufficient to attract top talent? Is the Mayor more interested in the welfare of the City or his pension? That's a rhetorical, Kiddies. I think the answer is loud and clear.

Posted by: Clark Pearlman | November 20, 2007 9:48 AM

Well said Alex! We just need people with a bit of common sense running this City. Alex, are you interested in running for Mayor in two years?

Posted by: charlie | November 20, 2007 10:08 AM

Another BRAVO for Rhodeen.

And yes, it is absolutely RIDICULOUS that the phone at HQ does not get answered.

There is absolutely no way that the Mayor should get ANY raise until the phone gets answered the next five times I call the station.

Posted by: Magda | November 20, 2007 11:06 AM

Well see if any of these of the new Lieutenant are the same old Sergeants that allowed his officers and who also was involved in police abuse. I hope the new Chief can clean up those corrupted supervisors in the department.

Posted by: Westvillian | November 20, 2007 11:48 AM

I love the young turks on the Board of Alders - Rhodeen, Lemar, Pascale, Paolillo, Sandman - they all have different politics, but they are not scared of the administration, are willing to push an agenda and take on the old politicos who have screwed New Haven over the past decade andhave grown alot in their first terms. If only we had elected Malone out here in Westville, we would have really had a dynamic board

Posted by: Heights resident | November 20, 2007 12:47 PM

Alex, for the next top cop position, I don't think so, you need someone who is going to give us more then lip services, try tossing out a few solutions, Alex is your typical politican.

I say they hire someone from out of town, who has new and fresh ideas, to boast morale and address quality of life issues.

Posted by: fHHR | November 20, 2007 10:10 PM

I've often wondered how a mayor could make an attempt at the state capital when you measure the time in minutes it takes to get someone to pick up the non-emergency number in his dominion. This is big stinker for the city and am glad it is finally getting the press to be addressed. Horay for Rhodeen.

Posted by: bugupit | November 20, 2007 11:32 PM

Nobody else feels compelled to comment on the blue smoke being blown by CAO Smuts pitching "opportunities" in the department with Captain, Lieutenant and Sergeant open positions? Refer to NHI of 11/20/2007. Lieutenant list is out, eleven are known and seven are probable after (presumably also known or soon to be known) successful Lt's get promoted to Captain. Also, two new Assistant Chiefs to be hired by the new Chief. Excuse me, but where does that leave our two incumbent Assistant Chiefs? At the desk but not hand-picked by the new Chief?

Smuts needs to work on his pitch to candidates. The Dept. is not a mound of raw clay to be molded by the new Chief, it comes with its own personality, history and union contracts and either these promotions will go through before the new boss arrives or at the very least, the new Chief will be presented with promotion candidates list and asked to sign off.

Posted by: DISPATCHER ASSISTANT | November 24, 2007 3:19 PM

I am a lifelong resident of Fair Haven and a dispatcher assistant at the New Haven Police Department. In response to the telephones not being answered at headquarters, our job description includes much more than just answering the telephones. We are also writing reports, entering all towed vehicles into our in-house computers, entering stolen vehicles and license plates, missing and wanted peoples into the nationwide computer system, taking broadcasts from officers for wanted people. At times there are only 3 or 4 people working in the communications room, there are 5 lines ringing, how do you expect us to take care of all the calls at the same time? As an employee of the communications department, I see what people expect from our officers, we receive calls from people reporting that their children won't clean their room. Are we the parents or police officers? Some requests from citizens are ridiculous and do not need police involvement at all, which ties us up, making the people with real problems have to wait for service. Some calls can last up to 15 minutes, which delays the answering of the next call. As an employee I wish they would let people like you come visit the communications department for a day, so you can see what really goes on.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | November 26, 2007 4:36 PM

ok dispatcher maybe you are one of the goods ones that I have spoken with..... we the citizens of New Haven are sorry that you can not handle the calls that are coming in. That is something that is being addressed as far as we have been told.

And I understand that some of the calls that come in should not be coming in. But.........

When I call and get some person with an attitude...please.....when I have someone chasing me with a gun and then his working girl comes to my house threating me WHILE A DISPATCHER is on the phone with me and hears it .........and I still do not get a cop till hours later....(thank God for neighbors). When an Alder woman is stuck in a car for 45 min.s surrounded by kids with shovles, When a cop comes in my house and a dispatcher has no record of it and refuses to send an officer to address the issue (it is not there call to refuse). When a dispatcher tells me that I can not do an anonymous call on some scary people and tells me that a cop will only go if I leave me name and number (which I did but was able to have it removed the next day) that is wrong. Don't tell me I have to leave my name and number because I WILL NEVER call a tip in again!!!
When I have called a 911 to the police and the 911 operator is horrifyed on how long it took for there line to be answered that is scary. If 911 calls and it is an emergency and that 4 minutes that it takes for 911 to get threw to you is someones LIFE on the line.

I understand you are understaffed but you have to understand what we are complaining about. This can be life and death. And all the calls you get for suspicious activtey. Our district managers though out the years tell us to call it in that way!

Again I am sorry that you do not have enough people but unless we complain about the fact that it can take up to 5 min.s for our call to be answered then you will continue to be understaffed.

Posted by: Resident/Dispatcher Assistant | November 27, 2007 1:47 AM

I am also a resident of New Haven and a Dispatcher Assistant for the department and have to agree with my collegue's opinion, I would also like to add that we are constantly referred to as "non-emergency" call takers and that's not true, when a person dials 911 and it's a police related emergency, it's then transferred to our department, I myself have spoken to hundreds of persons with suicidal ideations, situations where a husband has had a wife at gunpoint and countless calls where people have been victims of a violent assault, including gunshots, stabbings, and domestic violence. These aren't calls you can just hang up with nor are they ones we take lightly. Being a resident of New Haven I myself have had to wait for police response so I understand the frustration but I don't believe complaining and blame is the answer. We as call takers are aware of the problem and try to the best of our ability to service the community but the problem goes higher then our department. We need residents such as yourself to demand better police assistance and attend any/all neighborhood meetings you can, you are the ones paying the taxes and deserve your monies worth. And also I'd like to note one additional thing (especially to "cedarhillresident") you at NO TIME have to leave your name, some of our best tips are left by anonymous people as yourself, so if you ever encounter that problem please ask for the call takers "badge" number and ask to speak with their supervisor. Please don't ever feel that your call is unimportant.

Posted by: dana b | November 27, 2007 4:07 PM

Please, whatever you do, do not start plugging Alex Rhodeen for mayor. This alderman is the mayor's errand boy. He was put forward by the mayor to replace a pesky alderwoman in 2005's election. He tows the mayor's line. He is a small cog in the Democratic Party machine. We need a new mayor, but let him or her be a person of accomplishment, intellect, courage, and sustained action. Rhodeen is not the person for the job.

Posted by: Fairhaven Dave | November 27, 2007 5:57 PM

I get the impression some of you have never discussed our mayor, much less anything else, with Alderman Rhodeen. If you had, you would not be calling him "errand boy" or "typical politician".

In my experience Rhodeen has used sustained action to push for intelligent and, perhaps more importantly, corruption-proof solutions for improving his ward. Our ward was not "handed to him" nor inherited in the best of shape and yet it continues to improve. Residents, not the mayor, put him forward to replace an inactive alderwoman, not a pesky one.

It is irritating to see baseless pokes at a good man's integrity, especially after watching him risk his ass by publicly attacking the infrastructure of a powerful corrupt city department for our benefit.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | November 27, 2007 6:53 PM

dana
Dave is right Alex seems to be a growing Alder and it appears to me that it may be in the right direction. I am not sure how he was put into office. But he seems to not be afraid to question thing that others will not. Mayor not at this stage in the game but he is a rising star if he can continue on an independent level. Grant it be you still have to play the game after all it is politics...but there is a right and wrong way and from what I have seen so far he seems to be doing it the right way .... the right way being for the people.