New Haven Independent

Posted by: jawbone | June 23, 2009 1:55 PM

Accusing Capt. Peterson of road rage is like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500. We wouldn't have any cops left if they were all investigated for allegations of road rage.
My point? I see a member of the NHPD driving in a blatantly reckless manner every day of my life.

Posted by: Jon Doe | June 23, 2009 2:24 PM

It sounds to me that some NHPD have it in for Capt. Joann Peterson for doing her job. We have all watch police shows and know they call cops in I.A rats. Do I belive she is good at her job. No because there are a lot of BAD cops here in New Haven. Let's face it cops don't arrest cops.

Road Rage: Sure she got upset when the other driver got in here way. Cops belive they always have the right of way on the road and in any other ways of life. As fare as the other driven not filing a complaint. I know first hand years ago I was cut off by a NHPD and Yes I had the right of way, I knew a NHPD officer and ask him who I should call to complaint about it too. His responds was to give me the contact info. Then he went on to say that if I follow thu don't be surprised that I start getting pulled over by other cops for anything. So I just drop it.

Extra-Duty Gig: Why isn't the store video showing much. If she is saying he was following her around the store, that should be able to be seen on the video. I also read in the NHR that she ordered him to leave the store at some point and after he didn't he was arrested. Everyone know that when a cop tell you to do something you do it even a Bad cop who retire after a one-year unpaid leave (and thats just so he can collect his pension) should have known that more then anyone. He could have gone home and filed a complaint.

Training Academy Clash: Come on how many of us have had this happen in the work place. These cops are just too full of themselfs. They can dish it out but they cant take it. Cops have no problem talking to tax payers like this.

Posted by: citizen | June 23, 2009 4:08 PM

She needs a long vacation.

Posted by: Cheri | June 23, 2009 4:25 PM

I've heard in the past that certain NH cops were a bit pissed that Capt. Peterson received promotions to detective, etc. There was clearly some envy and resentment from certain male cops.
I know her, and think very highly of her.
Re: the training academy clash: It's wrong and inappropriate to humiliate colleagues and/or subordinates on or off the job, but everyone gets a bit cranky once in awhile, and hopefully it was just that.
Re: the road rage incident: I suspect Joann may have seen a driver on the road who needed to be arrested for reckless driving, so I'm glad she pulled him or her over. Many would ignore it, which is why so many drivers keep driving that way.
Finally, there must be footage or witneses to the Shaw's incident. I've seen her there a hundred times working that security "extra-duty" shift, and always being great to staff and customers, NEVER pulling rank.

Posted by: Really who believes Hunter?!?! | June 23, 2009 6:08 PM

Come on people Hunter, of all people filing a complaint against not only Peterson but anyone in the department is a joke!!! If anyone were to pull up archived articles on Hunter they will see he has a HISTORY of unlawful misconduct which included the Silver Shields incident and other incidents that effected you and I as TAX PAYING citizens of New Haven. If we go back to the incident which caused his current situation, it was Hunter who performed illegal/improper actions by investigating, illegally, two brother's one of which had dated his daughter's mother in the past. The one brother who used to date the women was not doing anything to warrant an investiagation except, again, at one point dating the woman. Can someone ask Hunter two things, One: When was dating an ex-girlfriend of a police officer classified under the general statues as being criminal and Two: just because this man dated the women why would he illegally run reports and then cry victim IF a false report was (and I highly doubt it) ran on him. Finally Captain Peterson has a Chief that now is allowing her to do her job and rid the city of corrupt cops and she is being persecuted? Come on people look at the vendetta against her!!!! You know what to Captain Peterson always remember the saying "People taked about Jesus Christ and he was a JUST man so people will have no problem talking about you". Capt Peterson hold your head up and keep doing your job!!!

Posted by: Captain Peterson disregard Michael Hunter | June 23, 2009 10:18 PM

Captain Peterson you, myself and the citizen's of New Haven, CT know Michael Hunter is behind the stories being put into the media spotloght. I do understand that the New Haven Independant has to ethically print all opinions but when it gets to a point where a person is defaming her charecter it needs to be stopped! Mr Hunter take the package you were given and do the honoralble act of you staying out of the spotlight and trying to put other's in. You know you were guilty and sometimes in life we have to repent for our sins and this is a chance now that your repentance has happened, now start over with a clean slate and follow what your church is preaching as where you said you were coming from before you went to Shaws and the incident happened.

Posted by: no change | June 23, 2009 11:02 PM

Capt. Peterson keep up the good work that you do. Don't let the wusssie bull get to you.I can't believe how jealous police officers are of each other.

I'd be upset with a bad cop being allowed pension credits for being suppended.This credit most likley will allow him a 50% pension instead of 32%. He probably has a disability as well.

Wake up pension board members, yes you to Johnnie
you belong to this pension fund.

Posted by: JoJo | June 23, 2009 11:08 PM

These allegations seem like pretty weak stuff. Something a junior high school student might come up with. Since office politics are conducted at that level, it seems to me like the Internal Affairs chief has made some enemies. No surprise there. They're really going to investigate that stuff? They have time for that? I guess it's best to be able they say they did. Maybe Peterson's hitting a little too close to home on some of her investigations.

Posted by: Name WIthheld | June 24, 2009 2:00 AM

There must be more to this story than currently reported. Please dig deeper NHI!

Is Peterson out of control? Or does the status quo have it in for her?

Posted by: kamb | June 24, 2009 8:00 AM

Hunter is, was, and alway's will be known as a BAD COP! ...

It's hard to get fired by the NHPD, and he got FIRED!

Posted by: jawbone | June 24, 2009 9:37 AM

I don't know anything about the background beef between Peterson and Hunter, but, she should have turned and walked away. She absolutely needs to be above this kind of garbage in order to do her job effectively.
If the allegations stated above are true, then I agree, yes, she needs a long vacation. Some time to think about professional conduct.
My theory. Arrogance. She makes a lot of enemies within the department and burns a lot of bridges. People don't forget these kinds of petty beefs (embarrassing someone over staple placement), they get stored up and when everyone who has a gripe sees an opening or a moment of weakness, they all pile on. Its hard to stop that kind of train when it starts rolling.
Just walk away next time.

Posted by: Concerned Citizen | June 24, 2009 11:59 AM

As a long time NH Police officer, IA chief, Joann Peterson must know that the brass is after her job. This is why there are these many filings and leaks about petty squabbles; she got into a rage about the manner in which papers are stappled? Maybe that means she is under too much pressure and needs a mental health leave. Chief Lewis, are you just laying the groundwork against Joann Paterson? Do you document and follow up on some of the blatanly abbhorrent behavior of some of your male officers, especially those who are simply thugs on wheels? Why are citizens discouraged from filing compliants against NH police officers?

Clearly, the brass have someone else they want to put in that position; no doubt, it is one of the good old boys; or a special someone. Although it has been closely kept under wrap, many people know that for years the NHPD has been a place with a Cesspool. Michael Hunter has been a part of that pool; yet he was allowed to stay on then allowed to take a year of unpaid leave so that he can collect a pension. Imagine just how corrupt that is! Billy White was allowed to operate as a rogue cop for years! How many of us get to violate the very laws we are being paid and charged to uphold, then we get to cool our heels for a year and then get to earn a pension for the rest of our lives?!!! That is simply outrageous.

Some officers of the NHPD are the worst drivers on the road. As someone else said -- they ALWAYS have the right of way. If many of us citizens were not such good drivers we would be in crashing accidents with NHPD vechicles quite often. The current brash are among the most arrogant, rude and obnoxious people in the NH govt. I am not talking about chief Lewis, most of us do not know him; we know many of his Captains and other hands-on enforcers.

The mayor would be doing NH a great favor to CLEAN out the NHPD before he leaves office; however, as the old saying goes, the fish stinks from the head down. Michael Hunter should have been kicked out of the NHPD ...years ago. Instead he will be getting a pension. Where is the integrity in the NHPD? How can we expect young people to respect the police when they have such bad examples? We can teach our children to fear the police and stay out of their way; we cannot in good conscience, as parents, teach them to respect the NH police. That is unfortunate, but it is also the reality.

Melvin Wearing and Brian Norwood were both pushed out of the NHPD because they had too much integrity; they were too straightlaced. Maybe IA Chief, Joann Peterson, is also trying to get other officers to live up to a code of conduct. That might not be acceptable behavior in the NHPD. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. We are grateful for the New Haven Independent; at least we might get little pieces of the ongoing sad story.

Posted by: Morris Cove | June 24, 2009 2:47 PM

Concerned Citizen

I don't know know what department you work for, but if it is the N.H.P.D., you should take off the rose colored glasses or blinders.

First off Mel Wearing and Brian Norwood were not forced out of the P.D., they left for obvious reasons...). Mel just ran the department as staus quo, from when Tricky Nicky left, what changes did you see?????, go ahead I'm waiting, and Norwood...please he ran out on Bridgeport before his contract was up becuase like all rats they leave the sinking ship.

Posted by: Been Called Worse | June 24, 2009 8:53 PM

Concerned Citizen,

You seem to misunderstand the way that things work at NHPD, hopefully I can clarify this.

The Chief, doesn't have to build any case to "put [someone else] in that position". As Chief, all he has to do is reassign her. Simple as that, and she (nor anyone else at the department) has much of a say as to where they are assigned. If he wanted to move her to the midnight shift on Winchester Avenue, then it would have been a done deal.

To reiterate what Morris Cove mentioned above, neither Wearing nor Norwood were pushed out. Wearing left on his own terms, and it is my personal feeling that Norwood left because he did not feel he could work effectively with Cisco Ortiz.

As for the rest of your post, you seem to be co-mingling alot of other subjective feelings and half-informed truths that can't really be debated.

As to the incidents in the article, I'll say this - I have, in the past, worked with all three officers mentioned in the story. Joann Peterson and Rob Strickland, in my estimation, are both decent, hardworking officers with integrity. I'm not certain the circumstances surround the Staple Incident, but everyone has their moments. One insight into the mind of an officer is that rank is earned and needs to be respected in the organizational heiarchy. I won't speculate any further on it as it is easy (yet foolish) to judge one's character and actions based on third hand reports of what transpired.

Posted by: Hood Rebel | June 25, 2009 12:00 AM

To Concerned Citizen:

You make some interesting points... this story does make me wonder if this woman is being "stuck out." I am also concerned!

Posted by: Beansie's Mom | June 25, 2009 8:32 AM

I would have to second Been Called Worse, I've had contact with both Capt Peterson and Officer Strickland and they are both wonderful, hard-working and dedicated law enforcement professionals.

That said, I don't understand why with four Assistant Chiefs a Captain is handling the investigation. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what tune Capt. K signs us when the investigation is complete.

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Posted by: Equality | June 26, 2009 9:31 PM

It is truly amazing how everyone is giving this officer the benefit of the doubt. I do believe when all the other officers where under scrutiny they were automatically thought to be guilty. Most problems usually trickle down; maybe all this is coming to a head finally. So many of these post talk about how so many people have a vendetta against officer Paterson maybe she is not the perfect officer you thinks she is. And who cares who files a report against her, she should have thought before she acted and did something to put herself in this situation. If you are going to make every police officer pay for putting themselves in the wrong place or not thinking before they act then she needs to be disciplined just like she disciplined all the others... Why should she get any special treatment???

Posted by: OH PLEASE | June 27, 2009 12:49 PM

Equality please. First her name is Capt. Peterson not Paterson and you spell check or take an english course because your post is full of grammatical errors. You obviously are in support of Hunter. It is evident that she is not the most liked on the force and I'm sure it is due to her position as Head of IA. Hunter doesn't hold a candle next to Peterson's credibility. Think about it in the 17 years she's been on the force this is the first time I heard about any misconduct on her part. But how many times have we read about Hunter: uprising with Brookside community, shot at the Ebony Lounge while off duty, stealing $40,000 from the Silvershields, defaulting on his auto to the tune of $8,000 and stealing $8,000 from the police property room, assaulting a 70 year old man, misuse of the police database and now this. OH PLEASE!!!!!

Posted by: Equality | July 2, 2009 7:42 PM

I don't care what her name. By the way you might want to check your own statement before trying to correct someone else, You mean "use spell check" not "you spell check or take an english course". Look at how many other officers after years of a having perfect service record do something wrong or are accused of something. I ask why is she any better then anyone of them????