New Haven Independent

Cops, Neighbors Meet

by Melinda Tuhus | July 29, 2009 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

iyana%20and%20lamont%20moye.JPG Lamont Moye (pictured with his daughter, Iyana) asked Newhallville’s new district manager if he was having any luck ridding the streets of illegal dirt bikes, for which the neighborhood is infamous. “Have you seen any?” the neighborhood’s top cop asked him.

“I saw one last week,” said Moye (pictured with his daughter, Iyana).

“Have you seen as many as before?”

No, not as many as before, Moye said.

thaddeus%20reddish.JPG That was Lt. Thaddeus Reddish’s point.

Reddish (pictured) recently took over as the district’s top cop, or “district manager.” He gave the neighborhood a crime update at its management team meeting Wednesday night at the Winchester Avenue substation.

He said gun violence is way down from its previous high level. He claimed he has the dirt bike situation under control, too.

The police department’s community services officer, Joe Avery, gave a pep talk to the six neighbors present at the meeting (not counting the police, the neighborhood specialist for the Livable City Initiative, and a few other guests making presentations).

“People in Newhallville need to get involved in block watches,” Avery said. “It’s a way to bring people into the management team; it has not been well attended for quite a while.”

He said he understands the root of the problem. “A lot of people in Newhallville are living in fear,” he said, “and don’t want to be pegged as block watchers, which equals snitch.”

“So just don’t call yourself a block watch,” he suggested. “Just say it’s neighbors getting together.”

Moye, sitting in the back of the room with two young daughters who drew quietly throughout the meeting, said, “I tried to revive my block watch on Highland Street. I passed out flyers, but nobody responded.”

“Reach out beyond just your block,” Avery responded. He tantalized the group with descriptions of 50 and 60 people who come out to meetings in other neighborhoods.

Moye said he’d be happy to reach out to a broader area, “but I want someone watching my block, too.”

harold%20with%20sox.JPG Management Team chairman Harold Ellis (pictured), who lives around the corner from Moye, said he’s also been thinking of trying to resurrect his block watch. He proposed they work together to see if they, too, can get double-digit attendance at a future meeting.

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Comments

Posted by: chaz | July 29, 2009 12:58 PM

The schooters are killing greenwich ave.little speeding cars,loud neighbors.Its all about respect!We live here we pay taxes Its the same people same houes,same schooters/birtbikes.The cops are all ways around at the wrong time.If you take the bikes,you wont have to worry about them.If your car is not registered its going to be towed They can find your car but cant see/find 4 schooters thatsThe cops ask what color bike,what race,after you tell them they cant find the bikes.Its the only 4 schooters on greenwich ave.

Posted by: Ben | July 29, 2009 1:01 PM

From the State Street front:

Though I have not met Lt Reddish yet I have been happy to see the way he has been consistently staffing a bike officer in our neighborhood.

Some neighborhood concerns have already been addressed without having to make calls to non-emergency or 911 and before the community felt like it was not being paid attention to.

I am seeing the same two officers consistently and more frequently which leads me to believe that the rest of the officers are in New Hallville. If this is working from a staffing perspective and it is working over in New Hallville to lower crime and we're doing ok on the other side of the district it sounds like Reddish has the show under control as we're about to go into the August heat.

Nice Work and thanks for the Bike Cop!

Posted by: Ben | July 29, 2009 1:32 PM

Chaz,
Take a photo and report it anonymously on SeeClickFix.Com Fair Haven saw action this way.

Posted by: Beaver Hill Resident | July 29, 2009 3:48 PM

Lt. Reddish,

Thanks for working to take the ATV's and dirt bikes off the street. If the gun violence is way down also, more power to you!!!

Posted by: Hood Reble | July 30, 2009 1:04 AM

Thanks for the good work!
Reddish is a serious no-nonsense dude, who has no tolerance for crooked behavior!! As we struggle to keep the neighborhood out of the hands of the thugs...reporting crime and discouraging bad behavior... Reddish is right there with his team backing us up. His strategy is working!

Posted by: STYLENE | July 30, 2009 9:37 AM

WAY TO GO LT. REDDISH!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. THESE ARE THE THINGS I LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT....ISSUES GETTING RESOLVED

Cops, Neighbors Meet

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