New Haven Independent

Posted by: joe | May 20, 2008 3:04 PM

controls for the siren have been industry standard for a long time. every ambulance i ever worked in had them, however the light controls are a new thing for sure and trust me when you are traveling and have to glance away from the road for even a second, it's an accident waiting to happen. good luck on the new system NHPD and thank God, you guys are getting some new cars - i've seen some of the old ones literally falling apart out there, the mechanics can do just so much and i dont think the average citizen realizes just how many miles and hours are actually put on these cars. at least this is one good thing for the pd.
joe

Posted by: jeffreykerekes | May 21, 2008 8:08 AM

The cost of our horses is $118,450 in this budget before adding four more horses. I wonder what the cost will be afterwards? I know horses are for crowd control and not just nostalgic symbols of a bygone era, but hey, that is another cop on the beat or so. We should sell our horse which have recurring annual costs. According to the NHPD, "Our horses are placed in dangerous situations daily. They are almost constantly in need of some type of medial treatment." Anyone with a pet can tell you Vet bills are crazy expensive. Why add four more animals that need constant medical attention?

Posted by: PowertothePeople | May 21, 2008 9:15 AM

In the past, officers had to divert their attention to a control panel to find the switch to turn on a loudspeaker, or to activate sirens or flashing lights, explained Acting Chief Stephanie Redding.

"They had to look down at their hands," she said.

The real concern is that they have to drop their cellphones to turn on the lights and siren. They are distracted by them more than having to reach down to hit a switch. Almost every time I pass a cop they have a phone to their ear. I spent 6 years as a cop and by my third shift in a new car I had the location memorized and could hit the switch for lights and siren without even looking.

Posted by: unprotected | May 21, 2008 4:02 PM

to: powertothepeople, wow 6 years as a cop and had stuff memorized in 3 shifts. sounds like you didn't do any police work. try three shifts in new haven.

Posted by: what? | May 21, 2008 5:23 PM

Unprotected: Are comments like that necessary?

Posted by: The insider | May 21, 2008 5:50 PM

Power

Six years, please you should be embarrassed to even mention that short time of your life. Where were you a cop Maybarry?

Listen to unprotcted , try a shift in Fair Haven, or the Ville in the summer when it really heats up and your running around, try finding that siren without looking then.

Posted by: William Doriss | May 22, 2008 7:42 AM

This is a really dumb exchange. Weow! Weow! WEow! What is more interesting is how much money is actually being spent on the new cars and how much they really cost the city.

More videos from fast-talking Paul Bass, New Haven's very own home-grown reporter's reporter. Cops like to talk on cell phones. I've noticed that as well. I wonder if that is part of community policing? I know Dunkin Donuts is.

Posted by: PowertothePeople | May 22, 2008 9:19 AM

Actually Insider and Unprotected, the city I worked had MUCH higher activity than New Haven. I've talked about my time on the force to several of the NH cops and when I told them where and when I worked they all say the same thing, "wow!"

My REAL point was the department should start enforcing the hands-free cell phone laws internally before they start spending time and money on this stuff. This is a 'nice to have' not a 'need.'

Posted by: Kyle | May 22, 2008 1:53 PM

I would venture to say that the PR value of a police horse far outweighs its cost.

American police in general have something of an image problem in comparison with police elsewhere - perhaps it's the guns, perhaps it's the shades, perhaps it's the hard-guy affect, perhaps it's the endless car chases on TV. That image does not seem to encourage trust on the part of the general public; and that lack of trust in turn creates a sense of antagonism which does a disservice all around.

A horse, on the other hand, somehow manages to come across as being strong yet approachable - witness the mothers with small children standing in a circle around the police horse on the corner of the Green....

Is there something to this, or is it just me?

Posted by: The Insider | May 22, 2008 7:21 PM

Powertothepeople

Your right, hands free devices should be enforced, although emergency vehicles are exempt from this law, it just never looked right to me. I'm a supervisior and have been for nearly 12 years.

Most of my counterparts would agree with me on this issue as have been discussed.

I asked you where you served out of curiosity, no response needed.